New research shows how access barriers, rising costs, GLP-1 demand, and AI-driven care—not just more coverage—will define the next generation of benefits, and what employers can do to close the gap
NEW YORK, Feb. 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Maven Clinic, the world’s largest virtual clinic for women’s and family health, today released its fifth annual State of Women’s & Family Health Benefits report, shedding light on where employer benefits are working and where gaps remain. Based on responses from 2,071 HR leaders and 4,964 full-time employees across the U.S., U.K., Canada, and India, the report highlights how rising healthcare costs, persistent access barriers, growing demand for treatments like GLP-1s and hormone replacement therapy (HRT), and the widespread use of AI for health guidance are reshaping how employees seek care—and what employers must do next.
For many women and families, starting a family has become more uncertain and more expensive. Rising healthcare costs, long wait times, and provider shortages are making it harder to access timely care, leading many to seek out faster guidance including from AI tools to help inform health decisions. At the same time, employers are investing more to fill these gaps, even as healthcare costs continue to climb. Health insurance premiums for families rose 6% in 2025, reaching nearly $28,000 per family, and high-risk maternity and NICU care now rank among the top cost drivers for most large organizations. Maven’s report brings these realities into focus, showing how employers can better align benefits with how care is actually accessed today.
“Nobody wants to spend more and feel like they’re getting less,” said Kate Ryder, founder and CEO of Maven Clinic. “And yet this is the fourth consecutive year that costs will rise for benefits leaders left to fill the gaps of a broken healthcare system. In parallel, as more and more consumers seek to take control of their health and turn to AI to navigate care, always-on technology platforms consistently prove their value as the future of care for women and families.”
Key findings from Maven’s State of Women’s & Family Health Benefits report include:
- Employees feel less supported—even as employers add more individual benefits programs: Employers reported a 39% average increase in women’s and family health benefits offered year over year, with major growth in fertility, adoption and surrogacy, paid parental leave beyond required minimums, and parenting support. Yet employee confidence declined across nearly every category. The share of employees who say their benefits support them “very well” dropped from 65% to 56% for preconception care, from 55% to 49% for fertility support, and from 46% to 39% for adoption support. Together, these shifts suggest that while employers are expanding offerings, many employees are struggling to navigate a growing patchwork of point solutions—making benefits harder to access, coordinate, and rely on when they need them most.
- High-risk pregnancies drive up costs, yet many employees don’t understand their risk: More than half of benefits leaders (57%) say high-risk pregnancies have increased healthcare costs for their organization, and employers are responding: 93% report taking steps to manage these costs, such as expanding care coordination, mental health support, and virtual maternity care. Despite these investments, understanding of pregnancy risk factors remains limited: only 3.5% of employees correctly identified all of the factors that can make a pregnancy high-risk, meaning many don’t recognize risk early or know when to seek additional care.
- Employees are turning to AI for health guidance, creating both opportunity and risk: AI is already influencing how employees make health decisions. 81% of employees have used AI to find health information, and one-third (33%) report taking action based on AI-generated guidance, from starting or stopping a medication to scheduling a doctor’s appointment. Employers see real potential in this shift: 71% believe AI can help employees find information more quickly and easily. At the same time, concern remains high, with 88% of HR leaders worried employees may make decisions based on inaccurate AI-generated health information.
- Consumer health advertising, including for GLP-1s and HRT, is shaping employee decisions and expectations: Direct-to-consumer health advertising is increasingly influencing care decisions. 70% of employees report taking action after seeing an ad for hormone replacement therapy, and 61% say the same after seeing an ad for GLP-1 medications—often before engaging a clinician or employer-sponsored benefit. As a result, expectations for coverage are rising: 53% of employees believe employers should cover HRT, and 47% say employers should cover GLP-1s. In response, 44% of employers have added or expanded coverage for GLP-1s, and 51% have added or expanded coverage for HRT.
- Access barriers continue to delay essential care: Access challenges continue to delay essential women’s and family healthcare. More than one in four women (27%) report delaying or skipping routine women’s healthcare in the past year, largely due to logistical barriers rather than lack of need. Among those who delayed care, 53% couldn’t find an appointment time that worked, 39% faced long wait times, and 24% cited transportation challenges. Employers are seeing this impact as well. 75% of HR leaders in the U.S. are concerned about declining access to maternity care due to hospital or provider closures, and many are responding—50% are expanding or changing benefits to improve access, with another 41% considering similar changes.
Maven works with more than 2,000 employers and health plans globally to help women and families get the care they need at some of the most important moments of their lives—from preconception and pregnancy to returning to work and navigating menopause and midlife. When care is easier to access and better coordinated, outcomes improve. Employers who work with Maven see up to 2x clinical savings and 4x combined clinical and business savings, while employees benefit from better experiences and outcomes, including a 27% reduction in NICU stays and a 94% return-to-work or planned return rate.
To download the full 2026 State of Women’s & Family Health Benefits report and explore the data, visit www.mavenclinic.com/annual-report.
About Maven Clinic
Maven is the world’s largest virtual clinic for women and families on a mission to make healthcare work for all of us. Maven’s award-winning digital programs provide clinical, emotional, and financial support all in one platform, spanning fertility & family building, maternity & newborn care, parenting & pediatrics, and menopause & midlife. More than 2,000 employers and health plans trust Maven’s end-to-end platform to improve clinical outcomes, reduce healthcare costs, and provide equity in benefits programs. Recognized for innovation and industry leadership, Maven has been named to the Time 100 Most Influential Companies, CNBC Disruptor 50, Fast Company Most Innovative Companies, and FORTUNE Best Places to Work. Founded in 2014 by CEO Kate Ryder, Maven has raised more than $425 million in funding from top healthcare and technology investors including General Catalyst, Sequoia, Dragoneer Investment Group, Oak HC/FT, StepStone Group, Icon Ventures, and Lux Capital. To learn more about Maven, visit us at mavenclinic.com.
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