Not too long ago, it might not have occurred to a worker struggling to have children that changing jobs might be the solution to the problem. Increasingly, however, employers view coverage of fertility treatment as a key benefit to attract and retain skilled workers.

As is the case with any other health benefit, not all fertility benefits are created equal. Some are far more generous, offering employees unlimited access to expensive in-vitro treatment or egg-freezing services. Others only cover a certain number of attempts.

FourSquare recently expanded its fertility options. It now offers employees, including same-sex couples, coverage for any kind of fertility treatment.

“If we’re going to meet our (head count) growth projections, we have to be really competitive,” Meghan Lapides tells the Wall Street Journal.

Last year, Pinterest increased its fertility coverage from $5,000 to $20,000. It upped its coverage again in January, offering coverage for four rounds of IVF, which can cost between $50,000 and $75,000.

American Express similarly bumped its coverage from $20,000 to $35,000. SAP also expanded its benefits, which now include up to $15,000 for fertility drugs and two cycles of IVF.

A survey by Willis Tower Watson last year found that 55 percent of employers offered some type of fertility benefits. However, a more recent survey found that 66 percent plan to offer such coverage by 2019.

The great majority of employers who offer fertility assistance –– 81 percent –– say that they apply to both same-sex and opposite-sex couples, up from 65 percent who said the same last year.

Without employer plans that can distribute the high cost of fertility treatment across their many employees, many who are struggling to conceive simply can’t afford to pay for IVF. Fifteen states have laws requiring insurance plans to offer various levels of fertility-related coverage.

In Nebraska, some legislators are proposing legislation to require insurance plans to cover IVF. State Sen. Justin Wayne related accounts of friends who have left the state because they could not find insurance that would cover infertility treatment.

Wayne even argued it could help the state grow.

"Nebraska hit 1 million people in population in 1890," he said. "Over a hundred years later, and we still haven't been able to get to the 2 million mark. We have to figure out ways to help families grow. This is just one way we can solve a problem that plagues people from middle to low income."

Instant Insights /

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