By Charles Green, Vice President, Sales, Progyny
For years, many smaller employers assumed fertility and family building benefits were out of reach. The need was there, but the cost uncertainty often was, too. That’s starting to change.
Small and mid-sized employers are under growing pressure to offer benefits that help them compete for talent, support employees through major life moments, and close gaps in care. But traditional utilization-based models have often made those benefits difficult to adopt, especially for employers that need more predictable costs.
For brokers, that shift creates a real opportunity.
The challenge isn’t demand, it’s the model
Employees increasingly expect support across life stages, from fertility and family building to pregnancy, parenting, and menopause. Small and mid-sized employers are feeling the same pressure as larger organizations. TriNet’s 2025 State of the Workplace report, focused on emerging trends in small and medium-size businesses, shows that employers are placing more focus on benefits as a way to compete for talent and support retention.
The report also found growing employer recognition of fertility coverage, with “extremely important” responses increasing to 29% from 25%, and “moderately important” responses increasing to 31% from 28%.
Large employers have already responded. More than 40% now offer fertility benefits. At the same time, 1 in 6 people experience infertility, reinforcing the scale of need.
But smaller employers often face a different reality. Even when they want to offer expanded benefits, unpredictable utilization, high-cost claims, and administrative complexity can make adoption feel risky. As a result, many employers either delay offering fertility and family building benefits or settle for limited solutions that may not fully meet employee needs.
A more predictable path forward
The biggest shift in the market isn’t demand – it’s benefit design.
Fully insured, premium-funded models are making fertility and family building benefits more accessible by giving employers a way to offer meaningful support at a more predictable cost.
Instead of variable utilization-based spend or limited coverage in carrier-based models, employers can access a model designed to support:
- Fixed monthly costs
- More predictable budgeting
- Reduced financial exposure
- Streamlined implementation
- A guided member experience
That changes the conversation from, “Can we afford the risk?” to, “How can we offer a competitive benefit while controlling cost?”
Why this matters for brokers
For brokers, this creates a new way to bring value to smaller employer clients who may have been priced out of fertility and women’s health benefits in the past.
It can help you:
- Identify clients with unmet needs in your existing book
- Differentiate your offering in a competitive market
- Start new conversations around talent, retention, and benefits strategy
- Introduce a high-demand benefit category with a predictable funding model
Modern solutions, such as Progyny Select, are helping change what’s possible for smaller employers. Progyny Select is a first-of-its-kind, fully insured supplemental plan designed to bring Progyny’s proven fertility and family building model to smaller employers. It supports employees across pivotal life events, including fertility treatment, adoption, surrogacy, pregnancy, parenting, and menopause support.
Learn how to spot the opportunity
Curious which clients in your book may be a fit?
Download How to add a new revenue stream without adding risk to learn how brokers are identifying opportunities, positioning the conversation, and helping smaller employers offer fertility and family building benefits with more predictable costs.
Progyny Select must be presented alongside major medical based on its licensure and additional participation criteria established by Progyny Select. Individuals selling Progyny Select need to be licensed in the State of Washington. The benefit is implemented with an effective date that aligns with employers’ major medical coverage. However, there is no medical plan integration or variation by medical carrier. When groups add Progyny Select, all employees/members who are 12 years and older, and enrolled in medical will be automatically enrolled in Progyny Select.
Progyny Select Supplemental insurance plans are insured by Progyny Health Insurance Company of Washington or its affiliates. You may ask for a full listing of all legal entities operated by Progyny Inc. that issue or service any Progyny Select plan at any time; please contact: legal@progyny.com for more information. All insurance policies and plans contain exclusions and limitations. For full details on coverage, please refer to specific plan documents, application, and certificate of coverage.