Navigating today’s reproductive health challenges: Key insights for HR leaders

As healthcare costs in the U.S. rise every year, more and more people cannot access the care they need, especially when it comes to women’s and family health. Nearly half of all U.S.-based employees who are expecting or considering a child are more concerned about reproductive health now than they were before. 

While employees face heightened anxiety and uncertainty around reproductive healthcare, they are looking to their employers to fill the gaps. Especially as the landscape of federal and state protections shifts, women’s and family benefits are becoming increasingly important to many employees—in fact, 69% of employees have taken or considered taking a new job that offered better reproductive and family benefits. 

Want to make a difference for your employees in these uncertain times? In a recent webinar, Kate Muzzatti, Maven’s Chief People Officer, led a conversation with founder and CEO Kate Ryder and Senior Medical Director Dr. Danielle Dang about how employers can show up for employees. 

Understanding today's reproductive healthcare landscape

According to Dr. Dang, the three biggest problems in reproductive healthcare continue to be access, equity, and provider burnout. More than one-third of U.S. counties are considered maternity care deserts, meaning they have no OB-GYN services in the entire county. Because of this, 2.3 million women lack access to basic and essential reproductive care. 

The care scarcity has real, dire implications. In the past two decades, we’ve seen a 50% increase in maternal mortality rates, primarily among Black and Indigenous communities—and the CDC estimates that 80% of these deaths are preventable.

Given this landscape, it’s not surprising that so many clinicians are feeling overwhelmed, burnt out, or leaving their practices entirely. Dr. Dang shares there is currently a deep paranoia in the medical community, as resources and statistics are being scrubbed from the internet and state and federal legislature becomes even harder to navigate. “Building a family in the best of circumstances is life-changing , vulnerable, and hard,” Dr. Dang says. “The current system isn’t set up to support community-based physicians in delivering the care they want to give to members. This leads to provider burnout and directly impacts the care that is being delivered to patients every day.”

How employers can bridge critical healthcare gaps

Despite the challenges, both Ryder and Dr. Dang remain hopeful. “In the landscape that we are in right now that is fraught with difficulties and nuance, there is still something incredible about being able to find the right care that you need at the moment that you need it,” Dr. Dang shares.

“HR leaders are well-positioned to make an outsized impact,” agrees Ryder. “The majority of the U.S. population gets their benefits through their companies, and employers can really be the white knight here.” Employees are asking for more support too—52% want their employer to continue to advocate for comprehensive reproductive health services, and more than half of employees want their employer to expand the reproductive health benefits they offer.

These savings matter, especially in the current era of rampant healthcare inflation. 

Leveraging digital solutions to expand care access and manage costs

“Costs are going up 5-10% a year,” reports Ryder. Because of these rising costs, women’s and family benefits have to hit what Ryder refers to as the “triple bottom line”: reducing costs, expanding access, and offering personalization for each individual employee journey.

One of the best ways to hit that triple bottom line is through virtual healthcare. On digital healthcare platforms like Maven, members have 24/7 access to specialists in their pocket. These digital options also expand access regardless of geographic barriers, which allows employees to access the care they need, when they need it—regardless of location. 

The 24/7 availability also provides immediate support for urgent concerns. Dr. Dang recounts the story of a Maven employee who was 11 weeks pregnant on a work trip in Los Angeles. She started bleeding in the middle of the night, across the country from her OB-GYN and her support networks, but with Maven, she could access the care and guidance she needed immediately. 

With the integration of specialized care providers, virtual healthcare does not need to sacrifice care quality for convenience. Maven members have access to an entire dedicated care team, including virtual OB-GYN consultations, mental health support, doula and midwife services, and more. 

The impact of digital health care on outcomes—and the company’s bottom line—is clear. “We know that fertility and maternity are some of the biggest cost drivers for employees out there,” says Dr. Dang. “And we can impact C-sections and NICU rates, which significantly drive up the cost for employers and employees.” 

These benefits enhance employee well-being, improve health outcomes through preventative care, and provide support for diverse employee needs across geographies. Robust women’s and family benefits improve employee loyalty as well: three in four Parenting & Pediatrics members are more likely to continue working for their employer due to Maven. 

Creating impactful benefits programs for today's workforce

As HR leaders seek to balance costs with crucial employee support with their benefits providers, there are some key considerations to keep in mind. First, your benefits platform should have clear clinical validation and data-supported outcomes. Is the company reducing NICU admissions and lowering C-section rates? Is it reducing the number of employees who have to go to the emergency room during their pregnancy? There are various metrics and KPIs that can be validated. 

Dr. Dang also acknowledges the importance of considering the business impact alongside the clinical impact. By tracking metrics like increased productivity and reduced attrition, HR leaders can strengthen the business case for comprehensive care. 

Next, your benefits platform should offer comprehensive care across life stages. Preconception care is critical to help employees understand what options are available to them, and also to mitigate costs from expensive ART procedures like IVF. Similarly, the care coverage shouldn’t drop off when the baby is born. Continuing to support parents through early parenthood, including lactation consulting and pediatric care, ensures holistic and comprehensive coverage across various life stages. 

The benefits platform also needs to maintain compliance with changing regulations and laws. This compliance can be especially tricky to navigate right now, as many federal and state protections for reproductive care are being stripped away. Make sure your provider has a clear strategy for keeping up with these changes and navigating them smoothly.

Lastly, personalization is key. An employee with a high-risk pregnancy in a maternity care desert will have vastly different needs than another employee with a low-risk pregnancy living in a large city. Personalization also makes proactive risk identification easier, and early interventions can save time, money, and stress. “Through early stage fertility support and education, we have the potential to actually reduce unnecessary IVF cycles and other high-cost interventions,” Dr. Dang says.

What's next for reproductive healthcare benefits

Employees and employers alike acknowledge that digital health is no longer a nice-to-have but a need-to-have. Most employers facing rising fertility costs plan to increase their investments in digital health support, and three out of four employees say virtual care access makes it easier to work onsite and juggle their various responsibilities. 

It’s important for healthcare solutions to be adaptable and customizable. Virtual platforms expand access and bolster equity by providing quality care regardless of geographic location. Ryder is especially excited about the potential uses for AI to increase personalization. “There are still so many things that we can personalize throughout the journey, whether it’s coaches, community forums to meet other patients, and reading content,” she says. “AI has the ability to make everything that much more personalized.”

Moving forward with purpose

For companies looking to address these access, equity, and cost concerns all at once, look for a comprehensive family benefits provider like Maven to help. As the world’s largest virtual clinic for women and families, Maven offers holistic solutions across the full spectrum of reproductive and parental care. From preconception and family building to pregnancy, postpartum, return to work, parenting, menopause and beyond, Maven’s intuitive platform removes barriers to accessing comprehensive support and quality care, while improving health outcomes and reducing costs for employers. To learn more about how Maven can help you navigate the current landscape of reproductive health challenges, contact our team today.