Supporting Women via the group benefit drug plan

It’s International Women’s Day this week. What better time to consider how the employee benefit plan can support women – both at work and as dependents.
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Specifically let’s target the drug plan

1. Fertility Drugs
2. Hormone Therapy
3. Birth Control and other Contraceptives
4. Weight Loss Drugs
5. Pharmacogenomic Testing
6. Migraine
7. Vaccines

You have the list. Here’s the why

Fertility Drugs – I’m not explaining this, it’s obvious.

Hormone Therapy – is especially relevant to women in their menopause years. Menopause can be terrible and if you’re a man, I recommend learning more about it so you can better understand what the women in your life may be experiencing and in turn give better advice to your clients. Here’s a great place to start 

Birth Control and Other Contraceptives – again this should be obvious but it’s worth mentioning that when you remove the cost barrier from products like these you give women body autonomy. Plus, over the course of 20 years, a women can pay $6000 or more for these products. Just imagine if she could have invested that into her retirement instead.
Weight Loss drugs – a hot topic these days due to Ozempic. I’m including it because even through more men are obese, historically (according to the HBM+ drug report) women account for 81% of weight loss drug users.

Pharmacogenomic Testing – is Pharmacogenomics is the study of how an individual’s genes influence their response to medications. Pharmacogenomic testing can help determine how compatible a patient’s body may be to a particular drug, and helps their physician prescribe the most appropriate medication. The goal is to ensure the right drug is prescribed to deliver the most positive outcome with the fewest side effects. I’ve included this because the majority of women using weight loss drugs also use a drug for anxiety and/or depression. So let’s get them on the right drugs, at the right does out of the gate.

Migraine – Again women are the largest user group of migraine drugs - Insert funny gender joke about why – People with chronic migraine literally get their lives back with these drugs. And employers regain a productive and present employee. It’s win-win.

Last, vaccines – Vaccines the HPV vaccine which protects against cervical cancer is available for women of most ages now and for some reason women are more likely to develop shingles than men.