In a Nutshell: Blog Highlights
This blog explores why understanding and communicating the women’s-health supports already available in your group benefits plan matters, and outlines:
- The real and measurable women’s health gap in Canada.
- Key areas where existing benefits plan offerings (including Employee and Family Assistance Programs) can support reproductive health, mental health and mid-life health.
- Ways employers can enhance flexibility through Health & Wellness Spending Accounts.
- The value of better communication, education and awareness so employees know how to access what’s already available.
Supporting women’s health is not about reinventing plan designs; rather, it’s about knowing what your plan offers, communicating it clearly, and helping women confidently use the supports available to them.
The Deeper Dive
Women make up a growing share of Canada’s workforce and leadership, yet health systems, research, and benefit plans historically weren’t designed with women’s needs in mind. According to the McKinsey Health Institute (MHI), closing Canada’s women’s health gap could add at least CAD $37 billion in GDP annually by 2040 simply by improving women’s health and participation. 1 The same report states that Canadian women spend about 24% more time in poor health compared to men . 2
As a benefits-consulting firm - and as an organisation with 83% women on our own team - we see first-hand how understanding existing plan offerings can make a powerful difference in supporting women’s health. This isn’t about adding unnecessary complexity or redesigning your plan from scratch. Most employers already have meaningful supports built in through core benefits , Employee and Family Assistance Plans (EFAPs) , and Health and Wellness Spending Accounts The opportunity lies in making those supports easier to understand, easier to access, and better aligned with what women need at each life stage. Supporting women’s health is not “extra”. It’s a strategic investment in a healthier, stronger and more inclusive workplace.
Why Women’s Health Belongs in Your Benefits Strategy
The women’s health gap is real and measurable in Canada:
- Studies of mid-life health, specifically menopause, show that unmanaged symptoms cost Canadian employers CAD $3.5 billion annually, with 540,000 lost work-days attributed to menopause symptom management. 3
- A recent survey by the Menopause Foundation of Canada found that 32% of working women say their menopause symptoms negatively impacted their performance at work, and 24% said they hid their symptoms at work . 4
Behind these statistics are your colleagues and employees managing health needs while juggling work, caregiving and personal life.
Benefit plans already include many tools to help support women’s health; the key is ensuring employees know what’s available and how to access it.
Three Key Areas Where Existing Plan Offerings Support Women’s Health
1. Reproductive Health & Family Planning
Many plans already include coverage for:
- A wide range of contraceptives
- Fertility-related services or medications
- Pregnancy-related supports including mental-health services
- Pelvic-floor physiotherapy
- Wiegers Wellness Partner Warman Physiotherapy & Wellness is an exceptional provider of this and many other wellness services for women
EFAPs also commonly provide:
- Counselling for fertility challenges
- Coaching for family planning
- Support after pregnancy loss
Public programs (federal/provincial) can complement your plan and further reduce out-of-pocket costs. The most powerful step an employer can take is to communicate these supports clearly, so women understand what’s available to them. 4
2. Mental Health Across Life Stages
Women experience higher rates of anxiety and depression and face unique mental-health pressures linked to fertility, pregnancy, caregiving, and menopause. Your current plan may already include:
- Mental health coverage (psychologists, counsellors, social workers)
- Virtual therapy platforms
- EFAP counselling and coaching
- Paramedical practitioners who support mental wellness
Employees often under-use these benefits simply because they don’t know what’s covered. Clear, empathetic communication is essential.
3. Menopause and Mid-Life Health
Many mid-life supports do not require new plan design. They typically already exist within:
- Prescription drug coverage (e.g. hormone therapy)
- Paramedical benefits (dietitians, physiotherapists, naturopaths)
- Mental health coverage for sleep or mood concerns
- Health and Wellness Spending Accounts (HSA/WSA) for customised care
A Spending Account is also one of the best tools to enhance fl exibility for women who may need personalised support that falls outside traditional benefits. Educational resources, leadership training, and open communication are simple ways to strengthen these supports without increasing budget.
Practical Steps for Canadian Employers
Whether you’re a small business or a national employer, you can strengthen women’s-health support by focusing on education, communication, and meaningful dialogue, including:
- Review your claims data through a gender lens
- Work with your benefits consultant to identify patterns without breaching privacy.
- Work with your benefits consultant to identify patterns without breaching privacy.
- Ask women what they need
- Pulse surveys and focus groups reveal insights that data alone cannot.
- Highlight the supports already built into your plan
- From contraceptive coverage to mental health to menopause-related medications, many offerings already exist.
- Use public programs to complement - not duplicate - plan coverage
- Redirect savings to under-served areas if appropriate.
- Communicate in clear, accessible language
- Benefits only create value when women know how to use them.
How a Benefits Consultant Can Help
A knowledgeable benefits consultant can help you:
- Understand exactly what your plan already offers
- Highlight strengths and uncover gaps
- Compare your plan to the broader market of Canadian employers
- Build communication tools that improve awareness and uptake
- Explore enhancements like HSA/WSA options
- Ensure alignment with evolving public programs.
At Wiegers Financial & Benefits, our priority is helping employers and employees feel educated, supported and confident - not overwhelmed by redesigning benefits unnecessarily.
The Bottom Line
When women understand how to access the support already available to them through their group benefits plan, they are healthier, more engaged and better able to contribute their talents at work and at home.
Supporting women’s health isn’t about creating an entirely new plan design. It’s about unlocking the value of what you already have and communicating it in a way that empowers women.
To learn more, please contact us.
Debra L. Wiegers ,
GBA, CLU, CH.F.C.
Founding Partner, Managing Principal Benefits Division
4 https://menopausefoundationcanada.ca/menopause-and-work-in-canada-report/
