MassMutual Significantly Expands Suite of Employee Benefits

SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts, Jan. 9 -- Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance, a life insurance company, issued the following news release:

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- Caregiving and parental leaves, fertility and family planning, gender affirmation amongst offerings

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To better meet the needs of a diverse and growing workforce and continue to attract top talent, Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual) has announced a significant expansion of its employee benefit offerings. The introduction of several brand new offerings complements enhancements to existing benefits, providing a comprehensive suite of options available to employees of all ages.

"At the core of who we are is a company of people helping people in their time of need," said Sue Cicco, head of human resources, MassMutual. "These benefit enhancements reflect the true spirit of our brand - which celebrates interdependence - and give more flexibility and accountability to employees to manage their work and lives. They offer something for all of our employees and are designed to be adaptable to diverse situations and needs."

Time away from work to attend to life leads the pack of new and expanded offerings, including:

* Caregiving for all ages: A new caregiver leave provides up to two weeks paid leave to care for a loved one who is suffering from a serious health condition. It is at the discretion of the employee to define who a "loved one" is and there is no requirement that the person is an immediate or extended family member.

* Bereavement redefined: A more robust and flexible bereavement leave will provide up to 15 days of paid time off to grieve the loss of a loved one, and again, with the employee defining who the loved one is.

* Parenting: To ensure new mothers have adequate time to recover and bond with their child, maternity leave for birth mothers will increase to 18 weeks of fully paid leave - made up of 10 weeks of maternity leave and eight weeks of parental leave. Non-birth mothers, fathers and adoptive parents will also be eligible for eight weeks of fully paid parental leave that can be used altogether or incrementally up to a year after birth.

* Volunteering: Three days of paid time off is available to employees annually to give back to their communities, by sharing their time and talent with a cause close to their heart.

"We want to ensure we're holistically supporting the well-being of our employees by providing a robust suite of benefits that addresses physical, emotional, financial, and social wellness," said Dr. Claudia Coplein, head of health and wellness, MassMutual. "Our enhanced benefits were designed to help our employees and their loved ones, however they may define them, live their best lives - and feel cared for in all phases of their lives - enabling them to achieve their full potential."

Other significant new offerings include:

* Family planning and fertility: Fertility benefits are being enhanced to provide more medical and prescription-drug coverage, as well as personalized support by partnering with Ovia Health and Progyny. Through Ovia Health, employees will now have access to fertility, pregnancy and parenting advice and resources. Through Progyny, employees will have full treatment and medication coverage for IUI, IVF, egg freezing and more, as well as unlimited guidance and personalized support from a dedicated patient care advocate and access to the largest national network of premier fertility physicians.

* Gender affirmation: Since 2014, MassMutual's benefits have covered medically necessary services related to gender affirmation surgery. Starting in 2019, in addition to enhanced internal support, existing benefits will now include previously non-covered procedures, such as facial feminization surgery, thyrochondroplasty, electrolysis and more.

* Cancer care: When someone is diagnosed with cancer, getting the best care quickly is crucial. If an employee or dependent is diagnosed with cancer, he or she will have unlimited access to an oncology nurse who will provide concierge-level service. This service will help the patient navigate the health care system to get the care needed, as well as create a customized support plan to help identify the right facilities, doctors and treatments.

* Behavioral health: MassMutual recognizes that life can be stressful, so to support employees during challenging times, the company is making it even easier to access behavioral health counseling services and reducing coinsurance for seeing out-of-network counselors. This offering has been designed to provide resources to help employees navigate life's challenges, including mental health and substance abuse.

"This expansion is yet another step in MassMutual's cultural evolution to become a more flexible, and inclusive company - as well as helping retain and attract exceptional talent," said Cicco. "Building on our foundation of trust and integrity, these changes will help our employees take better care of themselves, the ones they love, and their communities, truly bringing our brand to life."

Some actions to accelerate this evolution have been significant, while others have been simple yet powerful statements of accountability. As an example, in 2015, MassMutual announced a two-word "dress code" - dress appropriately - which was a step toward encouraging employees to use good judgment, while placing trust, empowerment and accountability in their hands.

The new employee benefits program goes into effect on January 1, 2019 for all benefits-eligible employees.