There’s a lot to think about when you add a child to your family. Your Lam benefits can help with many of your concerns, supporting you and all the members of your family as it grows.
Planning ahead
Whether you’re trying to get pregnant, counting the days to your due date, or waiting for an adoption placement, you’ll want to learn about these programs that can help.
Fertility support
If you need help growing your family, Anthem’s fertility support partner, WINFertility, is here to provide guidance, education, and support at no cost to Anthem members.
Likewise, Kaiser offers its members fertility treatment and support.
Covered fertility treatments are detailed in your plan documents.
Adoption reimbursement
Adoption can be expensive. Lam will help with reimbursement of up to $10,000 per child.
Legal support
The group legal plan gives you access to a network of lawyers to help with completing an adoption, updating your will, creating a trust, or handling other common legal matters. Be sure to enroll during Open Enrollment in the fall if you think you may need legal services in the coming year.
Leave the hospital with a baby and extra cash
During Open Enrollment for the coming year, enroll in the voluntary hospital indemnity plan, and you’ll get a cash payment when you’re hospitalized for your delivery.
Taking time off
Your baby may show up right on her due date. Or you may get an adoption placement call out of the blue. In any case, when “it’s time,” you’ll need some time for yourself and your growing family.
Maternity leave
A typical maternity leave combines pregnancy disability time and baby bonding time. Altogether, most new moms at Lam are eligible for 26 weeks of paid leave—and more if your doctor certifies the need.
Parental bonding leave
As a new parent, you can take up to 16 weeks of paid family leave to bond with your new child in the 12 months following the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of the child. You can take the leave all at once or intermittently—in increments of at least one week—up until one year from the birth, adoption, or foster care placement.
Updating your benefits
Adding a new child to your family is considered a qualifying life event, which allows you to make changes to your Lam benefits outside the once-a-year Open Enrollment period. As you welcome your newest addition, take a look at your current benefit elections to ensure they’re the right fit for your expanding family. Then, be sure to make changes within 60 days of the birth or placement of your child.
You may want to consider:
- Changing your coverage. Add medical, dental, and vision coverage for your child, as needed.
- Using pretax dollars for health care expenses. Enroll in or increase your contributions to a Health Care Flexible Spending Account (FSA) or a Health Savings Account (HSA). If you change from single to family medical coverage, your HSA contribution limit will go up—and so will Lam’s contributions to your HSA.
- Saving on day care costs. You can enroll in or increase contributions to a pretax Dependent Day Care Flexible Spending Account (FSA) when you have new day care expenses—and Lam will add 15% on top of your contributions.
- Increasing insurance coverage. With a larger family, you may want to increase your supplemental life and AD&D insurance.
- Updating your beneficiaries. Add your little one as a beneficiary for your 401(k), Health Savings Account, and life and AD&D insurance.
The time flies
The days and sleepless nights add up quickly. Remember, you have just 60 days from birth or adoption placement to change your benefit elections.
Handling what comes next
You may want to spend every waking moment with your new bundle of joy. But before you know it, you’ll be returning to work. Balancing work and family isn’t always easy, but these programs can smooth the way.
- Access 24/7 support for dealing with stress, anxiety, family dynamics, relationships, and more through the Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
- Find the designated wellness room in your Lam building, which may be used by lactating mothers.
- Connect to child care you can trust, and get affordable emergency backup care when your regular caregiver isn’t available.
- Try telemedicine for a virtual visit when it seems impossible to get your child or yourself to the doctor.
- Use your Lifestyle Account to cover up to $500 in expenses related to a variety of needs, from staying in shape to managing your finances.
- Sign up with Virgin Pulse for personalized support for fitness, nutrition, stress reduction, and more.
- Check out the Anthem autism spectrum disorder (ASD) program if your child has special needs.