--- title: Helping union members navigate uncertainty in women's healthcare description: The America’s Work Force Union Podcast is the nation’s premier daily labor program. Stacey Hofert and Andrea Stelk from Progyny joined us on today’s show. image: https://awf.labortools.com/hubfs/Progyny%20Blue.png --- 1 min read Season 5, Episode 183 # Helping union members navigate uncertainty in women's healthcare [ awfblog ](https://awf.labortools.com/listen/author/awfblog) September 12, 2024 [America's Work Force Union Podcast](https://awf.labortools.com/listen/tag/americas-work-force-union-podcast) [Health, Welfare, and Safety](https://awf.labortools.com/listen/tag/health-welfare-and-safety) [AWF](https://awf.labortools.com/listen/tag/awf) [Progyny](https://awf.labortools.com/listen/tag/progyny) ![Progyny](https://awf.labortools.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Progyny.png?width=400&height=400&name=Progyny.png)   Guest Name: --- Stacey Hofert | Andrea Stelk Guest Website: --- [Progyny](https://progyny.com/)  Guest Social Media: --- [ Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/Progyny/) [ Twitter](https://twitter.com/Progyny) [ YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxjpBP09OnyISjeHE4M7pTA) [ LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/progyny/) Supportive Documents: --- Stacey Hofert, Group Vice President of Labor and Trust, and Andrea Stelk, Vice President of Commercial Solutions, for [Progyny](https://progyny.com/) joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to discuss women and fertility healthcare for union members. They discussed the unknowns around the future of in vitro fertilization (IVF) and reproductive rights. They also shared how Progyny has supported family members through the family-building process and then successfully returning to work. There has been much uncertainty surrounding women’s health and reproductive rights, and Hofert discussed what Progyny is doing to assist union health funds navigate the process. She talked about the need to support health and welfare funds and educate them on the changes that could come to regulations for women’s healthcare and how these changes could impact their members. Hofert said that states are beginning to mandate coverage that could help families with IVF and fertility treatments. Only 23 states require coverage for fertility treatments, and 15 require IVF coverage, so there is still work to be done, she said. Support throughout the family-building process doesn’t stop when a child is born. Stelk and Hofert discussed how Progyny helps union members return to the workforce. Stelk said that return-to-work support starts before conception by ensuring there are no care gaps through the process that could negatively impact a woman’s ability to return. Hofert provided additional information on how this type of care and support is critical to women in the trades.  Finally, Hofert explained how a complete care program for women is crucial to recruiting more women to the trades. She talked about how effective women’s and fertility healthcare is in building a family-sustaining workforce that the trades encourage. Over the past five years, Progyny surveyed over 1,400 union members who have experienced infertility. In the survey, 82 percent of members were more attracted to an organization with fertility and family benefits, Hofert said.  Listen to the show above to hear more about Progyny’s work in women and fertility healthcare. --- America’s Work Force is the only daily labor podcast in the US and has been on the air since 1993, supplying listeners with useful, relevant input into their daily lives through fact-finding features, in-depth interviews, informative news segments and practical consumer reports. America’s Work Force is committed to providing an accessible venue in which America's workers and their families can hear discussion on important, relevant topics such as employment, healthcare, legislative action, labor-management relations, corporate practices, finances, local and national politics, consumer reports and labor issues. America’s Work Force Union Podcast is brought to you in part by our sponsors: AFL-CIO, American Federation of Government Employees, American Federation of Musicians Local 4, Alliance for American Manufacturing, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes-IBT, Boyd Watterson, Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council, Communication Workers of America, Mechanical Insulators Labor Management Cooperative Trust, International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers Local 50, International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Crafts, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 6, Ironworkers Great Lakes District Council, Melwood, The Labor Citizen newspaper, Laborers International Union of North America, The National Labor Office of Blue Cross and Blue Shield, North Coast Area Labor Federation, Ohio Federation of Teachers, United Labor Agency, United Steelworkers. - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) ##### SUBSCRIBE ON: --- [![Group 342](https://awf.labortools.com/hs-fs/hubfs/AmericasWorkForce/podcast%20logos/Apple%20Podcasts%20Button-Dark.png?width=171&name=Apple%20Podcasts%20Button-Dark.png)](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/americas-work-force-union-podcast/id1511224946) [![Group 341](https://awf.labortools.com/hs-fs/hubfs/AmericasWorkForce/podcast%20logos/Spotify%20Button-Dark.png?width=100&name=Spotify%20Button-Dark.png)](https://open.spotify.com/show/0GzkHxFSBxiXvuX0lZpQBn) [![Group 343](https://awf.labortools.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Group%20343.png?width=135&name=Group%20343.png)](https://www.iheart.com/podcast/americas-work-force-union-podcast-62567752/) [![Group 339](https://awf.labortools.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Group%20339.png?width=110&name=Group%20339.png)](https://www.pandora.com/podcast/americas-work-force-union-podcast/PC:47979) [![Group 397](https://awf.labortools.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Group%20397.png?width=125&name=Group%20397.png)](https://americasworkforceradiopodcast.podbean.com/) [![Group 397](https://awf.labortools.com/hs-fs/hubfs/YouTube_button.png?width=125&name=YouTube_button.png)](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuQo1PAtRAel1_tS7-PQOkA)   #### [Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen on the Union Pacific Merger Threat](https://awf.labortools.com/listen/brotherhood-of-railroad-signalmen-on-the-union-pacific-merger-threat) : July 6, 2026 # Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen on the Union Pacific Merger Threat Brandon Elvey, Secretary-Treasurer of the [Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen](https://www.brs.org/),... 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