Quantum and Progyny team up to provide inclusive family-building care

The process of building a family can be challenging for many reasons, but one thing is true for anyone who wants to be a parent: The journey is much easier with comprehensive benefits and empathetic support. 

In a recent State of Healthcare study by EBN, approximately one in three Gen Z, millennial and Gen X employees said they want family-building assistance benefits, but do not have access to them. According to the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans, only 40% of U.S. organizations have included fertility benefits in their 2023 benefits packages. To help its 500 employer clients meet the growing demand for offerings that help employees achieve having a family, Quantum Health has partnered with fertility and family-building benefit solution Progyny, which is now part of Quantum's Comprehensive Care Solutions platform. 

"Healthcare is its own language to start with, let alone when you get into a specialty like family-building," says Shannon Skaggs, president of Quantum Health. "Unfortunately, patients throw up their hands and can't figure it out, and all they're left with is a brochure from open enrollment. There are not a lot of great solutions for equitable benefits for everyone trying to build a family. A group like Progyny leads us in this direction."

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Individuals and couples who face family-building challenges need far more than a fertility stipend from their employers. By incorporating a benefit that houses access to a national network of fertility specialists, resources and concierge support, employers can offer the  financial, mental and physical health expertise necessary to go through this journey with confidence. As with Quantum's Health Care Warrior service, Progyny members are assigned a designated advocate who can access all eligible health information under Quantum's platform, and act as a critical element of guidance and emotional support. 

"We've developed understanding of this topic and built an end-to-end solution that is truly impactful," says Dr. Janet Choi, Progyny's chief medical officer. "From plan design to collaborations, we have our own in-network system, and we combined that with the Personal Care Advocate and education to cover all the pieces in between."  

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With an offering that focuses on equity of care, employers can reach far more of their workforce than just those having medical trouble conceiving. Where many plans have dollar caps or require proof of infertility to be accessed, Progyny provides pre-conception support and family-building plans to anyone at any point in their journey, making it an ideal solution for single parents, LGBTQ employees, and those who simply wish to connect with family-building experts and digital resources before or during the process. 

"It allows a single parent by choice, a same-sex couple, or transitioning individual who's about to embark on medical therapy where they're seeking [reproductive] preservation to equally access not just healthcare, but also this sensitive, thoughtful method of care that is tailored to their specific needs," says Choi. 

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To be an employer of choice, organizations are increasingly seeing their family-building benefits as a staple offering. Barclay reports that over half of employers say fertility coverage is necessary to compete in the labor market, and 68% of adults would switch jobs for better fertility benefits. 

"For people at this on their own, the experience is very poor," says Skaggs. "Having a robust plan, an offering around family-building, equitable benefits for everyone trying to build a family, is very important."