Corporate India's group insurance coverage for in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatments is dismally low despite growing concerns over working women's sexual health and infertility issues due to work-related stress, finds a study by employee health insurance firm Plum.
The report, titled "The Reproductive and Sexual Health of Working Women," called for urgent "structural change" to alleviate stress among working women.
The Plum research finds that work-related stress has impacted women's sexual health, causing disorders like polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), Endometriosis, etc., which leads to infertility. It said that one in five Indian women suffers from PCOS, a leading cause of infertility, blamed on work stress, among other factors.
Plum Co-Founder and CEO Abhishek Poddar says, "For the longest time, infertility did not come under the purview of insurance. This makes the need for structural change urgent."
Start-ups such as Meesho and Darwinbox offer IVF coverage, but it is still low at a pan-India level. Plum said that nearly 2 per cent of its clients, including Meesho, Darwinbox, and Epifi, have incorporated IVF coverage. Brands like Google and Flipkart also have IVF coverage in their group insurance policies.
Plum director Kriti Rastogi said, "An IVF treatment costs around Rs. 1.5 lakhs, laparoscopy around Rs. 75,000, and a hysterectomy cost anywhere from Rs 1.32 lakh to Rs. 2.75 lakh. However, most companies in India do not cover these treatments under their group health insurance.
He added that "companies should look at an ideal cover with no restrictions on any procedures. Under a comprehensive policy, no treatment, even if considered elective, will be rejected."
Underlining women's sexual health as an "alarming concern," the report also cited the government and World Bank data on the country's skewed women employment.
According to World Bank data, female employment in India fell by 9 per cent in 2022 since the Covid-19 outbreak. The recent Union Budget statistics also show that women's employability is at 51.44 per cent, it said.
The study noted that while corporates are adopting measures to boost maternity coverage, menstrual leaves, etc., to encourage female employment, the coverage of IVF is critical.
The Plum survey showed that 52 per cent of the participants struggled to manage health with work, and 20 per cent or one in five women, suffered PCOS, which accounts for 80 per cent of infertility cases.
Despite the urgency, many corporates are yet to cover the expensive IVF treatments in their group
insurance policies, "further building stress and discomfort among women in the workforce," Rastogi said.
