Free IVF: These companies offer fertility benefits for part-time employees
A woman holding her stomach, eight months into her pregnancy. (Credit: Katie Collins - PA Images/PA Images via Getty Images)
Many employees, who are looking to start families, many need fertility treatments when a pregnancy doesn’t come easily.
But fertility treatments, like In Vitro Fertilization (IVF), can be cost-prohibitive, ranging anywhere from $12,000 to $17,000 for a single cycle, and closer to $25,000 with medication.
A recent ruling by Alabama’s Supreme Court, which decided that frozen embryos created during fertility treatments can be considered children, has caused many doctors nationwide to worry about possible implications.
Those implications include a potential increase in cost of IVF for many families, because of things like additional storage fees and liability costs.
The costs of IVF have prompted many Americans to seek out side-jobs and side hustles – specifically from companies known to offer fertility benefits.
Here’s a look at the top companies offering free IVF for part-time and full-time employees.
Starbucks IVF benefits
Since the early 2000s, Starbucks was among the first retail companies to provide coverage for fertility services and continues to be at the forefront of offering fertility support to both full-time and part-time hourly employees.
All benefits-eligible partners (working an average of 20 or more hours a week) who are enrolled in a Starbucks health plan are eligible for fertility benefits.
The company offers a $25,000 lifetime maximum for fertility services (including IVF & egg freezing) and $10,000 for prescription coverage associated with fertility needs.
Tractor Supply Co. IVF benefits
In recent years, Tractor Supply Co. has become popular among social media users – not for its outdoor supplies, but for its fertility benefits.
"At Tractor Supply, we highly value our Team Members and invest significantly in their well-being. As part of our comprehensive health care package, we provide fertility benefits to eligible full-time and part-time Team Members," a spokesperson for Tractor Supply Co. said.
TSC’s fertility program, which is managed by Progyny, provides access to one Smart Cycle which can be used to customize the program based on the member’s individual family building journey. A Smart Cycle covers a complete set of fertility treatments for IVF.
Part-time team members working a minimum of 15 hours per week are eligible for the coverage after one year of service.
Amazon IVF benefits
Amazon’s fertility and family-building benefit is also through Progyny and is available to all full-time and part-time benefits-eligible employees.
To be considered eligible, an employee must work part-time, which is considered 20-29 hours per week.
According to the company, the benefit provides access to more than 950 of the nation’s most sought-after fertility specialists, so employees can choose a physician who best meets their needs and a patient-care advocate for dedicated support.
The company offers employees up to two Progyny Smart Cycles to use.
What is IVF?
When and if a person decides they are ready to have a baby, their frozen eggs are then thawed in a lab and the rest of the IVF process is completed.
According to Mayo Clinic, IVF is often a treatment for infertility but is also used to prevent passing on genetic problems to a child.
The procedure is done by placing one or more of the fertilized eggs, called embryos, in a uterus, which is where babies develop. One full cycle of IVF takes about 2 to 3 weeks. Sometimes these steps are split into different parts and the process can take longer.
A person’s chances of having a healthy baby using IVF depend on many factors, including a person’s age and the cause of infertility. If more than one embryo is placed in the uterus, it can result in a pregnancy with more than one baby. This is called a multiple pregnancy.
IVF cost
According to GoodRX, an IVF cycle includes ovarian stimulation, egg retrieval, fertilization, and embryo transfer.
Not including medications and testing, the average IVF cycle costs $12,400. However, with fertility medications and genetic testing, a person could pay $15,000 to $30,000 or more per cycle.
More often, the total bill will fall somewhere between $15,000 and $20,000.
Health experts suggest always asking for a detailed list of what the base fee includes and what will be charged as additional fees.
IVF loans
According to Investopedia, some lenders offer loans specifically for IVF, often through partnerships with fertility clinics. By applying to a lender that partners with your clinic, you may be able to access 0% APR financing, but these programs may require deposits or membership fees. It’s important to compare these costs to the APR on a traditional personal loan.
Some clinics also offer in-house financing, which may require a down payment. These programs sometimes offer a discount on a package of services in addition to allowing you to pay over time.
Here’s a breakdown of Investiopedia’s best loan options for IVF.
Alabama Supreme Court Ruling
In February, the Supreme Court found that frozen embryos created during fertility treatments can be considered children under Alabama state law.
The decision, issued in a pair of wrongful death cases brought by couples who had frozen embryos destroyed in an accident at a fertility clinic, could potentially leave clinics vulnerable to lawsuits and restrict access to treatment.
RELATED: Alabama Supreme Court ruling: Frozen embryos, IVF future explained
"This means the wrongful death of a minor act can be extended to all children despite what state they’re in – be it the embryonic state in the womb or born," Emma Waters, a research associate with the Heritage Association told LiveNOW from FOX.
Dr. John Storment, a reproductive endocrinologist in Lafayette, Louisiana, said his state has a unique law that prohibits doctors from discarding any viable embryos that are still dividing — meaning they must be preserved and stored.
Storment said that the Alabama decision could have a ripple effect across the entire country.
"It’s one of the bigger things to happen in reproductive law in the last decade," he said.
This story was reported from Los Angeles.