The COVID-19 pandemic has shifted how people work, and competition for top talent — many of whom are searching for equitable workplaces — is at an all-time high. Modern Health has a powerful mission to destigmatize mental health, which attracts talented employees who want to make a positive impact in the world. But working at a benefits company themselves, the Modern Health team also knows how much a comprehensive, high-quality benefits package can help companies win the competition for talent.
“We know that mental health benefits are table stakes for employers, and it’s increasingly becoming an expectation that fertility support is offered alongside,” said Mauch. The team decided a new family-forming benefit would be a powerful way to go above and beyond for their employees, something they continue to prioritize as they scale beyond 300+ team members — as long as the solution measured up to their high standards for inclusivity and emotional support.
Innovative and meaningful benefits like Carrot have greatly impacted employee recruitment and have helped us retain top talent.
To align with Modern Health’s mission to increase access to mental health, Mauch shared, “It was important to us that we lower the barrier to entry for family-forming care by providing high-touch support to aspiring parents. Fertility care can be prohibitively expensive and can require hours of research and ongoing appointments.”
Diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) alongside emotional support has also been core to Modern Health’s values from the beginning. When it came to fertility benefits, Modern Health sought a solution that would be inclusive of all paths to parenthood and available to employees regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, sex, or relationship status.
When the Modern Health team started their search, Carrot stood out right away.
While some fertility benefits limit support to in vitro fertilization (IVF) or focus mainly on the needs of female employees, Carrot’s inclusive programs cover all paths to parenthood including adoption, donor-assisted reproduction, and gestational carrier (GC) journeys (commonly known as surrogacy). And knowing that Carrot vets all eligible clinics and agencies for LGBTQ+ inclusivity and that nearly 30% of eligible providers are BIPOC, Modern Health saw how Carrot’s support matched their employee well-being and DEIB values.
When Modern Health officially introduced Carrot, employees quickly shared positive feedback. They mentioned how they felt “seen” by this benefit and were excited to share their stories. Even job candidates have reported enthusiasm at seeing Carrot on the Modern Health website.
“By offering diverse benefits that meet folks where they are, we practice what we preach,” said Mauch. “Innovative and meaningful benefits like Carrot have greatly impacted employee recruitment and have helped us retain top talent.”
For current Modern Health employees, having access to Carrot helped them feel more valued — and in some cases have made it possible to grow their families. One Modern Health employee, Dominic Bonalanza-Cassacia, Workplace Experience Manager, wanted to pursue a second GC journey with his husband but felt nervous about the cost. The average price of a successful first-attempt GC pregnancy starts at $136,000.
“We always wanted a family — and hoped to build one through gestational carriers — but were intimidated by the undertaking and cost,” he said.
Thanks to Carrot, parenthood felt within reach again for Dominic and his husband. Their son was born in 2019, and finally, they were able to have their daughter through another GC journey in January 2022.
“The financial support offered through the Carrot benefit transcends the employer-employee relationship,” Dominic added. “It’s hard to imagine a more meaningful benefit.”
