Once again Conceive has searched the country to find the companies that offer their employees the most generous fertility and/or adoption benefits. We’ve listed all the 2010 information in chart form, and then used a star system to rank the benefits.
How We Did It
To select this year’s list of 50 companies with the most stellar fertility and adoption benefits, we started by sending our survey (with detailed questions about benefits and parental leave policies) to all the companies that have been featured in our three prior lists, plus those companies that had contacted Conceive asking to be included in future surveys. We then cast our net wider, looking for new prospects by scrolling blogs and Internet postings at places such as INCIID (The InterNational Council on Infertility Information Dissemination Inc.) and RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association. We followed readers’ tips, surveyed top workplaces cited by the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, and collected data and suggestions from industry leaders and nonprofit organizations. While it’s possible that we overlooked a lesser-known company with stellar benefits, we’re confident that the employers we’ve highlighted deserve to be recognized.
Our Ranking System
Our rankings are based on a system of one to four stars, with separate categories for fertility benefits and adoption.
To award stars in fertility benefits, we followed the standard set by RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association. The organization values a completed in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycle as the equivalent of $10,000. In addition, this is the first year that we specifically asked employers to break out the fertility benefit into lifetime caps for treatment and drug coverage.
We awarded four stars for plans
that offer $100,000 or more for assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatment, including IVF, or that offer $60,000 for treatment combined with generous paid leave. A few of our winners top the charts with unlimited coverage; some winners grant up to 18 weeks paid parental leave.
Three stars were given to employers that cover three or more cycles of IVF, or $35,000 to $59,000 in treatments, or $30,000 with substantial paid parental leave or unlimited infertility prescription drugs. (The cost of
medication in just one IVF cycle
can top $2,000.) Two stars went to those workplaces that offer a combined treatment and drug coverage benefit of more than $25,000. One fertility star was awarded to companies offering any fertility treatment, even if limited
to diagnostic procedures and infertility prescription drugs.
For the adoption rankings, we gave the highest rating of four stars to employers that give more than $15,000 toward the expenses of adopting a child or a $10,000 reimbursement plus a very generous paid leave for adoptive primary caregivers. Three adoption stars went to workplaces that offer $10,000 or more toward an adoption. Two adoption stars went for a cash grant of $5,000 or more plus paid leave for adoptive parents. And one adoption star went to employers that offer a cash grant without any paid leave for adoptive parents. Also, a company with no financial adoption assistance may still be recognized for
its adoption benefits if the identical parental
leave is extended to an adoptive primary
caregiver as to a birth mother.
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