November 05, 2024

Prioritizing women’s health is important for employers for a multitude of reasons, including health equity, employee attraction and retention and long-term business outcomes. Research shows that certain health conditions are disproportionately prevalent in and uniquely impactful for women. During this call, employer members of Business Group on Health expressed their commitment to providing targeted resources and support to address these challenges. Findings from the Business Group’s 2025 Health Care Strategy Survey support this, as 86% of surveyed employers indicated that they will implement at least one strategy to advance women’s health in 2025.

The following text provides an overview of the key themes and practices shared by employers at various points in their women’s health strategic journey.

Employers around the world are looking at a variety of sources to inform their company’s approach to women’s health.

From employee resource group (ERG) feedback to staff surveys, social media channels, strategic guidance from leadership, health claims data and other sources, employers on the call rely on a plethora of resources to inform their approaches for supporting women’s health challenges. When it comes to internal sources, employers gather feedback from employee listening sessions, women’s ERGs, Talent Acquisition (TA) and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) teams. From an external perspective, employers utilize insights and demographic information gathered by their data warehouse and other health plan partner(s).

Examples of how employers are leveraging this data include the following:

• One employer used population data to identify the number of employees that fall into the perimenopause age group, supporting their strategic recommendation to roll out a global menopause program.
• Another employer mentioned that some women’s health needs do not necessarily show up in claims data, instead coming to light through other programs. This employer invited female employees to participate in a pelvic health pilot program through Hinge Health, targeting potential enrollees through a direct mail program. After a few months of the pilot program, the employer found that 40% of their Hinge Health enrollment was tied to the pelvic health support offering.

Specific areas of focus for employers include cardiovascular disease, menopause support, mental health and autoimmune conditions.

Some of the common women’s health conditions employers focus on include those that may disproportionally impact women, such as cardiovascular disease and other heart conditions, cancer (e.g., colon, breast, cervix), miscarriage and pregnancy loss, migraines, brain health and autoimmune conditions - just to name a few. Employers are starting to tackle women’s health challenges from a whole person perspective, offering support resources for all those with a uterus from menstruation through menopause.

To support women across this spectrum of conditions, some employers have turned to external support, including women’s health-focused point solutions such as Hinge Health, Maven and Kindbody. One employer on the call mentioned that the menopause program the company launched was so popular that the program hit the company’s annual enrollment projection within the first 3 months of launch. Vendor solutions are also shedding light on important topics, including prescription coverage for hormone replacement therapy (HRT).

Employers provide benefits for women choosing to build their families, including fertility, family-forming benefits and phased return-to-work plans.

Employers acknowledge that women’s health is much broader than family-forming and fertility care. However, these benefits are still an important cornerstone of any robust benefits program. Employers on the call indicated that they are adding enhancements to their reproductive health and family-building supports. Some are considering expanding or have already expanded fertility preservation (both elective and more critical, such as because of a cancer diagnosis), as well as coverage for egg storage for up to 10 years. Furthermore, some employers are ensuring that parental leave reimbursement and other available support criteria are inclusive of those building their families through adoption and/or surrogacy. In addition, one employer shared that it has a global surrogacy and adoption policy that allows two lifetime benefits of up to $30,000 to assist with family building.

Employers are also focused on enhancing reproductive health support to meet the needs of employees, including cryopreservation benefits, doula and egg/sperm donor reimbursement. To supplement the needs of women who are building their families and all employees who are caregivers, many employers on the call also offer caregiver-related benefits. For example, one employer rolled out a global care leave policy that provides up to 10 days of care leave, inclusive of menopause and menstruation-related time off.

A variety of communication approaches are being deployed to promote awareness and engagement with women’s health resources.

Employers shared how they are communicating available women’s health offerings and benefits to employees. For example, one employer set up a communications campaign for different kinds of claims data, including a communication campaign to share migraine support resources available. Another employer partners with their women’s ERG to host dedicated annual enrollment meetings that touch on topics like their fertility benefits and Maven menopause program. Similarly, while rolling out a pelvic health program with Hinge Health, one employer shared that it made an exception and allowed the vendor to do direct mailing to all females in the population.

Looking Ahead

Addressing women’s health challenges is a critical piece of employers’ ongoing health equity strategies, not to mention a vital component for fostering a supportive and productive workforce. By recognizing and responding to the unique and prevalent health issues that women face, employers have an opportunity to improve the well-being of employees and their families.

• Taking Action on Women's Health: A Business Group Viewpoint
• Autoimmune Disease: An Outsized Impact on Women
• 2025 Employer Health Care Strategy Survey

More Topics

Resource Culture and Strategy Health Conditions and Risk Factors Family and Caregiving