Employers are continuing to expand fertility benefits, but many still don’t have a clear understanding of what they’re actually paying for. With the White House encouraging businesses to expand fertility coverage, employers have an opportunity to lead – not by simply increasing spend, but by demanding better outcomes.
A recent survey from the Purchaser Business Group on Health underscores a broader issue in U.S. healthcare, cost does not consistently correlate with quality, and prices continue to rise without clear rationale. Employers are spending more each year on healthcare, while employees are often left navigating complex treatment options, uneven access, and limited support. The result is frustration on all sides: rising costs for employers, inconsistent care for employees, and a widening gap between the promise and reality of benefits.
Nowhere is this more evident than in reproductive health, a space where pricing varies widely, outcomes are high stakes, and employees expect coverage (and are willing to switch jobs to get it). Seventy percent of large employers now offer some fertility benefits, but few have a clear understanding of what they’re paying for, or how to measure quality and outcomes. With fertility costs rising faster than wages or inflation, reproductive health benefits have become essential to recruiting and retaining top talent.
The challenge isn’t just access to fertility benefits, it’s how those benefits are structured and delivered. Across the industry, three themes are emerging that can help employers better align cost, quality and experience.
The Hidden Administrative Tasks Draining Small Practices
Small practices play a critical role in healthcare delivery, but they cannot continue to absorb ever-increasing administrative demands without consequences.
First, look “under the hood” when evaluating healthcare options. Don’t just look at the price tag; compare the outcomes. High-quality medical care saves money in the long run and leads to better results. Accurate diagnostics, advanced lab practices, and evidence-based protocols increase the likelihood of pregnancy and reduce the number of failed IVF cycles – saving time, money, and emotional strain for employees.
Second, prioritize collaboration, not fragmentation. Fertility care works best when clinicians, labs, and pharmacies operate in a more coordinated way. Collaboration enables faster, better-informed decisions, reduces referrals, and shortens the time to pregnancy. It also lowers costs by avoiding redundant testing and treatment. For employees, integrated care means less logistical stress and more confidence in the process.
Third, demand transparency in drug pricing. IVF medications can be one of the most opaque and wasteful parts of the process. Typically, patients receive their rebates at the end of the year, if at all, while leftover drugs go unused. More transparent approaches, including upfront drug pricing, same-day delivery, and as-needed dispensing, reduces waste and helps employees with financial planning.
As employers continue to expand fertility benefits, the focus is shifting from access alone to value, how care is delivered, what outcomes are achieved, and how employees experience the process. Fertility is no longer a niche offering, expectations around quality, transparency, and results will continue to rise.
Photo: Iryna Shkrabaliuk, Getty Images.
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David Stern has more than 30 years of experience in women’s health, with a focus on the fertility industry. He has led global teams, built and scaled organizations, and launched products across pharmaceutical and biotech markets worldwide. Prior to joining Kindbody, he served as CEO of Boston IVF and led Symbiomix Therapeutics through commercialization and acquisition by Lupin Pharmaceuticals. He lives outside Boston with his wife and enjoys biking, skiing, scuba diving, and spending time with their three children.
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