About the program

Today, there are several options available to Canadians to help them build their families. For many, these options can be costly and stressful.

The Family Building program can help relieve some of these concerns. The program has two parts.

  • Fertility Services benefit. Fertility treatments are expensive, often costing tens of thousands of dollars. You can add Fertility Services to your existing Extended Health Care (EHC) benefits plan. Adding this service provides coverage for eligible fertility treatment expenses incurred by a plan member.
  • Surrogacy benefit. Surrogacy rates in Canada have increased by 400% in the last 10 years.1 But costs are high. Surrogacy in Canada can cost as much as $90,000 for each pregnancy.2 Our Surrogacy benefit reimburses plan members for eligible medical surrogacy expenses. If you’ve already added Fertility Services to your EHC coverage, you can enhance your Family Benefit program by adding the Surrogacy benefit. This is generally a taxable benefit for your plan members. We’ll administer this benefit under an Administrative Services Only (ASO) contract.

Fertility Services can be added to your EHC coverage now. We’re currently piloting the Surrogacy benefit with several Clients. We expect to open this benefit to all organizations in Spring 2022.

You can set the benefit maximums to meet your organization’s needs. These benefits can provide valuable support for your employees by reducing financial stress. They can also help your organization:

  • expand its DE&I initiatives
  • attract and retain a more diverse employee base
  • make employees feel supported and more productive.

More than 60% of job candidates said they would decline a job offer at a company that didn’t value workplace diversity.3

Learn more

We’ve prepared plan member and plan sponsor brochures outlining both components of the Family Building program. These brochures outline the covered expenses.

Fertility
Surrogacy

Many employers are looking to expand their DE&I initiatives. The Family Building program is an excellent way to do this. It levels the playing field so that all employees can take advantage of fertility support.

Sun Life is proud to support DE&I in the workplace with this new program – and to support the health of all Canadians.

Questions?

If you have any questions about our Family Building program, please contact your Sun Life Group Benefits representative or advisor/consultant.

 

1https://www.cbc.ca/documentarychannel/features/surrogacy-in-canada-has-increased-400-in-10-years-more-facts

2https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/surrogacy-agencies-expenses-costs-oversight-canada-1.5476965

3McKinsey, Diversity Wins: How inclusion matters, 2020