Growing Your Family

Your MarketAxess medical plan covers basic and comprehensive fertility services at both in-network and out-of-network providers, including:

• Artificial Insemination
• Oscopy
• Endometrial biopsy
• Laparoscopy
• Testis biopsy
• Semen analysis
• Ultrasound
• Hysterosalpingogram
• Hysteroscopy

Your plan also includes coverage for fertility preservation for non-medical reasons or social preservation, limited to collection of sperm, cryopreservation of sperm, ovulation induction and retrieval of eggs, oocyte cryopreservation, in vitro fertilization, embryo cryopreservation, and storage costs up to one year.

Coverage for fertility-related medications is provided by OptumRx, with a lifetime maximum of $10,000.

For more information about covered fertility services and personalized support, download the Maven Clinic app or visit https://mavenclinic.com/join/uhc-join.

If you are enrolled in a United Healthcare medical plan, you can get educational resources and personalized support by calling the number on your member ID card. An obstetrics (OB) nurse will help you enroll in the Maternity Support Program, which includes the following services at no additional cost to you:

• A dedicated OB nurse, always available to answer your questions
• Pre-conception health coaching
• Access to online educational resources
• First and second trimester risk screenings
• Identification and management of at- or high-risk conditions that may impact pregnancy
• Pre-delivery consultation

To take full advantage of the program, United Healthcare recommends that you enroll within your first trimester, though you can join any time up to your 34th week.

Maven offers support with all paths to parenthood, including surrogacy and adoption, with 24/7/365 access to the user-friendly app. You can use Maven for:

• Personalized assistance from a dedicated care advocate, who can provide referrals to highly-ranked, inclusive agencies and clinics
• 24/7 virtual appointments and messaging with providers like adoption coaches, mental health specialists, infant sleep coaches, and pediatricians
• Access to hundreds of expert-approved articles and on-demand classes on topics like infant CPR or navigating your relationship with your surrogate

To get started, download the Maven Clinic app or visit https://mavenclinic.com/join/uhc-join.

You can also use your MarketAxess Wellness Stipend toward adoption and surrogacy expenses. Learn more about how the Wellness Stipend works.

Taking care of you during this time is important for both your own and your new child’s health. When you look after your health, you’ll be better prepared to support and care for your growing family.

Here are a few important things to keep in mind:

• If you don’t have one already, find an in-network doctor. Prenatal care is generally considered preventive under MarketAxess' medical plans, which means it’s covered at no cost to you when you see an in-network provider.
• New York-based employees can take advantage of special access to care navigation assistance, same-day appointments, and extended office hours through MarketAxess' partnership with the Mount Sinai Health System.
• Maximize your dental and vision coverage by keeping up with regular exams and routine care.
• Get free, confidential 24/7 support from the Employee Assistance Program (EAP), offered through SupportLinc. You can also find an in-network behavioral health provider or get virtual counseling through your United Healthcare medical plan.
• Prioritizing your wellbeing doesn’t have to be expensive: save money with on wellness expenses like gym memberships and fitness classes with MarketAxess' Wellness Stipend Program.

Depending on your circumstances, you may qualify for a number of different types of leave.

Short-term disability (STD) 

Parents giving birth can receive up to 6 or 8 weeks of paid leave at 100% base salary (6 weeks for vaginal birth or up to 8 for Cesarean birth). This coverage is automatically provided by MarketAxess at no cost to you.

Child Care Leave (Bonding Leave) 

MarketAxess offers paid child care leave to give eligible employees the time they need to care for and bond with a new child following birth, adoption, or foster care placement. To be eligible for paid child care leave benefits, you must be working full-time and must have been employed with MarketAxess for at least 12 months and for 1,250 hours during the 12-month period immediately preceding the start of the leave. Eligible employees who are primary caregivers (defined as the parent who has primary responsibility for full time care of the child following the birth, adoption or foster care placement of the child) may receive up to 14 weeks of paid child care leave.

Eligible employees who are non-primary caregivers may receive up to 8 weeks of paid child care leave.

The chart below shows the total number of weeks of paid leave for new parents:

Family and Medical Leave 

The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) provides eligible employees with up to 12 weeks of unpaid, protected job leave for certain family and medical reasons. FMLA leave runs concurrent with your STD and Bonding Leave. FMLA is unpaid, job-protected leave.

Your health benefits while on leave

• If you take a paid leave of absence, the cost of your health coverage will continue to be deducted from your pay on a pre-tax basis.
• If you take an FMLA leave, you may continue your participation in health coverage (medical, dental, vision, Employee Assistance Program, and Health Care Flexible Spending Account) for you and any covered dependents as long as you continue to pay your portion of the cost for your benefits during your leave.
• If you take an unpaid leave of absence that qualifies under FMLA, you may continue your participation as long as you continue paying for coverage during your leave on an after-tax basis or by catching up with pre-tax contributions upon your return from leave. For a longer-term leave, you must send in your contributions during the leave.

For full leave policy details, please refer to the US Employee Handbook. 

As soon as you’re ready to share your big news, schedule time to meet with your manager so you can discuss your time off. During that conversation, you may want to talk about:

• When you expect your leave to start and when you anticipate returning to work.
• Suggestions on how the work could be handled in your absence.
• Your work schedule options, including a flexible work schedule upon your return (if desired).

As you approach the start of the leave, we also recommend taking the following actions to help ease the transition:

• Finalize any projects you can and/or provide clear instructions and training for colleagues who will handle your work.
• Create a list of all your systems passwords in a secure place, as you will most likely need to change your passwords upon returning to work.
• If you are a manager, designate another staff member to approve time off requests and approve expenses during your leave of absence.

Consider what you want from the experience of giving birth and start making arrangements for when the baby comes. A birth plan can help you feel more prepared, plan for contingencies, and eliminate conflicts and miscommunication during labor and delivery. Start by choosing an OB-GYN and hospital for your delivery and be sure to discuss your plan with your family support network and healthcare providers. If you’re enrolled in a MarketAxess medical plan, Maven’s team of experts can help you create your plan. 

It’s a good idea to start looking for a pediatrician a few months before your child arrives. You can find an in-network doctor through UHC’s provider search tool, ask your OB-GYN for a recommendation, or get help from a UHC advocate by calling the number on your member ID card.

Give yourself plenty of time to research your options and interview prospective caregivers before you actually need care. You might enroll your child at a full-service center, rely on family for care, seek an in-home caregiver, or take a blended approach. MarketAxess' partnership with Bright Horizons makes it easy to find the solutions that work best for you and your family. These resources from Bright Horizons can also help you in the decision-making process:

• Understand what quality care looks like  
• What to ask prospective care providers 

Expenses related to childbearing and adoption can be significant, and you’ll have other needs to plan for when your child arrives, too. Take this time to re-evaluate your family budget with help from these resources:

• Fidelity’s Learning Center gives you free access to expert-developed articles, webinars, and tools that can help you meet your financial goals. You can even find resources tailored for expecting and new parents. 
• The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) offers support with a variety of work/life topics, including financial concerns.

Visit the Financial Wellness page for more information on how MarketAxess can help you save money.

Decide whether you’d like to offer breast milk to your baby, give them formula, or a combination. Many new parents who are planning on breastfeeding may want a breast pump, and MarketAxess' medical plans cover the rental expense at no cost to you. Contact a UHC advocate for more information by calling the number on your member ID card.

As you prepare for your child’s arrival, consider telehealth for non-emergency medical needs, such as a cold, ear infection, or stomachache. Telehealth offers care from the comfort of your home—or wherever you may be—and can save you time and money. Access virtual care through Maven or UHC’s Virtual Visits program.

If your child may need to be admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), United Healthcare has resources to support you and your baby. The Neonatal Resource Services program provides access to a network of credentialed NICU providers and specialized nurse consulting services. To participate in or learn more about the program, call a neonatal nurse at 866-534-7209.

Under MarketAxess' Child Care Leave program, primary caregivers receive up to 14 weeks of paid leave and non-primary caregivers receive 8 weeks. Plus, parents giving birth receive an additional 6 weeks of paid short-term disability leave. MetLife is MarketAxess' leave of absence and disability administrator for both primary and non-primary caregivers. MetLife will handle your paperwork and filing questions.

How to file a claim

You can contact the MetLife Leave of Absence Reporting Line at 833-622-0135 and file your claim over the phone within a few days of starting your leave. Alternatively, you can file your claim online at https://www.metlife.com/mybenefits.

• View the MyBenefits Registration instructions.
• View the Disability claim and Family Medical Leave Process with MetLife. 

When you are filing your claim be prepared with basic information about yourself and the baby well as the name and contact details of the doctor that delivered the baby (if filing for child care leave). You may be asked for your weekly salary which is obtained in UKG under Myself\Compensation or take your annual salary and divide it by 52.

Why file a claim with MetLife?

We request that you file the Primary Caregiver leave request with MetLife so that you and MarketAxess can:

1. File a claim under the Short-Term Disability Plan (STD)
2. File a claim under the NY Paid Family Leave Policy (NYPFL)
   
3. File and tack your claim under the MarketAxess Child Care (Bonding) Leave program
4. Your time off is covered under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA)

We request that you file the Non-Primary Caregiver leave request with MetLife so that you and MarketAxess can:

1. File a claim under the NY Paid Family Leave Policy (NYPFL)
2. File and track your claim under the MarketAxess Child Care (Bonding) Leave program
3. Your time off is covered under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA)

Remember that you must also log your time out of the office in UKG under Workforce Management. Use the code under Other\Parental Leave.

Welcoming a new dependent through birth, adoption, or surrogacy is considered a qualified life event that allows you to make updates to your MarketAxess benefits. Make sure to report the change to the HR Team within 30 days of the birth date or adoption placement date to make your changes. You will need to provide documentation that establishes the date your child came into your family (such as their hospital discharge forms or adoption paperwork) before any changes to your benefits can be finalized.

Benefit changes you may want to consider include:

• Adding your child to your medical plan
• Changing medical plans
• Enrolling in or changing your contribution amount to a Dependent Care or Health Care Flexible Savings Account (FSA)
• Adding supplemental life insurance coverage
• Enrolling in Long-Term Disability coverage (without needing to provide evidence of insurability)

In addition, you may want to take this time to update your life insurance and/or retirement plan beneficiaries and update your income tax exemptions. To make changes to your benefits or tax withholdings, log in to OKTA to access UKG.

Consider setting up a Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account (FSA) to pay for eligible childcare expenses as one of the changes you make to your benefits. You can contribute up to $5,000 each year on a before-tax basis and use those funds for eligible day care expenses for your child(ren) under the age of 13 and/or adult/elder dependents.

If you’re enrolled in a MarketAxess medical plan, continue to take advantage of Maven’s 24/7 support for all of your postpartum needs. Schedule virtual appointments with providers like lactation consultants, mental health specialists, sleep coaches, and pediatricians through the app. Visits are always free—there are no copays or in-app costs. Learn more about Maven. 

Bringing a new child into your family is a profound change for any parent. Along with the excitement and joy of adding to your family, this can also be a time of uncertainty, stress, adaptation, and sleep deprivation. It’s taxing, and when your mental health suffers, your abilities to maintain important relationships and care for others can, too. Continue to check in with yourself after your child arrives. If you feel overwhelmed or depressed, or if you’re struggling with all of the new changes, know that you have support:

• Find a trusted behavioral health provider by searching the UHC network. We know how busy a new parent’s life can be, so consider using Virtual Visits for convenient care from the comfort of your home. 
• Use the AbleTo Self Care app for on-the-go access to self-care techniques, coping tools, meditations, and more. Sign up for free using our medical plan group number (919907) and follow the prompts to create your account. You can also download the AbleTo app from the App Store or Google Play.
• Not sure where to start? Call the number on your UHC medical plan ID card to reach an advocate who is specially trained to answer your questions or find answers for you. Advocates have access to a team of professionals skilled in behavioral health, emotional wellbeing, clinical care, pharmacy, and much more. This service is provided at no additional cost to you.

And don’t forget: all employees—regardless of enrollment in a MarketAxess medical plan—have access to 24/7, free, confidential support from the Employee Assistance Program (EAP), offered through SupportLinc.

Consider scheduling a check-in call with your manager towards the end of your leave to review the details of your return. Here are a few things to keep in mind as you prepare for the transition:

• Plan your morning and evening routines at home for yourself and other family members to help ease the transition to a new schedule.
• Consider returning mid-week to make your first week back less hectic.
• Make plans prior to your return to reactivate your Company-issued ID card.
• Connect with another colleague who is a parent for advice.
• Request access to a wellness room if available at your work location. Contact the HR Team for more information.

Keep an open line of communication with your manager and colleagues—we’re here to support you! Remember, you also have access to a variety of mental health support resources through your United Healthcare medical plan, and all employees can connect with the Employee Assistance Program anytime, from anywhere.

When your sitter cancels or you’re between child care arrangements, high-quality back-up care from Bright Horizons is just a click or call away. Care is available at a center near you for well children or provided by screened caregivers in your home for well or mildly ill children. To give you extra support, you can access 20 additional back-up care days during your baby’s first 12 months. Learn more about Bright Horizons.