How to Leverage Your Company's Fertility Benefit
Even as a single woman, there's a way for you to take advantage of it
Many big corporations started to provide an extra suite of benefits related to fertility and family forming. The benefits sound like they’re designed for couples exclusively. The only obvious treatment applicable for a single woman is egg freezing. However, as a single female, you can still take advantage of your company’s fertility benefit in many other ways if you’re not interested in an invasive and expensive treatment.
Gather Your Fertility Benefit Policy Information
Fertility treatments are not part of the core medial insurance in most cases. For example, dental and cosmetic surgery aren’t covered by most medical insurances. Fertility benefits, in the eyes of a public or private medical insurance provider, is a separate category.
You need to reach out to your company representative and the fertility benefit provider representative and have a comprehensive understanding of the following
treatments covered under the policy
conditions of coverage
when the coverage begins or ends
limitations of certain coverage
For example, some fertility benefits of multi-national corporations are different from one country to another.
Sometimes, certain healthcare practitioners, e.g. doulas, are covered only under certain circumstances.
The plus side is that most fertility benefit providers are very new compared to the medical insurance giants that still run on fax machines. Usually, their customer service is online and responsive.
Attend Educational Seminars
To reiterate the main point, fertility benefit providers are not like traditional medical insurance companies. Another plus side is that they sometimes provide free seminars that cover a range of topics. If you are single, you could still attend and you might find many helpful resources down the road.
For example, many fertility benefit providers also provide legal help for adoption. If you are not at this stage of your life, you might still attend seminars about family law. Personally speaking, my employer also hosted a seminar on estate planning, which is relevant even if you remain single til the end of your life.
Explore Extra Health Care Coverage
If you policy allows, find holistic health care providers, such as acupuncturists, therapists, RMTs. They can often provide you with alternatives to maintain your health (and fertility) in tip top shape.
Be very sure to have your benefit provider’s confirmation before booking anything.
Get Cycle Tracking Devices
Consider buying a cycle tracking device covered under your policy. Most women don’t any attention to the physiological signs throughout their cycle. Free apps are often inaccurate, and some paid apps are very expensive.
If you are currently single but want to start a family some day, start collecting data about your cycle now. Many fertility treatments, such as IVF, egg freezing, require you to know your ovulation date. If the treatments are not timed correctly, they will not work.
Go Easy On Yourself
Many employer offer egg freezing. However, most couples who thought they were infertile were subfertile, meaning that they simply need minimal interventions in order to conceive naturally.
Egg freezing is not a guarantee. Life has no guarantee.
A multitude of factors determine the health and viability of eggs retrieved and frozen. Do consider other alternatives before jumping into long, expensive, and invasive procedures.
Taxes!
Fertility benefits are taxable!
Since it’s not a conventional medical insurance, the reimbursement counts as extra income paid to you by your employer. This is one extra reason to keep all your records. It’s another good reason to explore other natural alternatives (often cheaper) to preserve your fertility.
Conclusion
As a single woman, it is still possible to take advantage of the fertility benefits provided at work. While it is convenient to have many services reimbursed to you, it is crucial to recognize that it’s not a universal solution. The benefit isn’t a conventional medical insurance, and it’s still the Wild West.