Santander US Introduces Three New Benefits to Support Women and Families

A new medical plan to lower the cost of childbirth and two new leave programs are among the new benefits Santander US will offer employees in 2023. 

Santander US is continuing its commitment to supporting women and families with three new benefit offerings for the 2023 plan year. 

Chief among the new benefits is a new lower cost medical plan option chosen for its ability to help lower the cost of childbirth and help families better prepare for healthcare expenses. The Surest plan, which is available through Santander US’s medical provider UnitedHealthcare, has no deductible, no coinsurance, and allows employees to see in advance exactly how much their copay will be based on the provider they choose. 

“With this new plan, we’re able to provide more peace of mind for families, so they can spend their time on what matters most rather than dealing with the stress of healthcare expenses and unexpected bills at the end of a hospital stay,” said Executive Director, Total Rewards & HR Technology Samantha McMillan. 

The new medical plan also offers a fertility solutions program with Progyny. Through Progyny, no infertility diagnosis is required to receive treatment, making the benefit more accessible than with other medical plans. Additionally, the program offers a surrogacy reimbursement benefit and considers treatments across Progyny’s Smart Cycle fertility process instead of a maximum dollar amount reimbursement, which results in better coverage through treatment cycles.  

Through the collaboration of Santander US’s Benefits team and the Thrive (caregivers and abilities) and EmpowHER Business Resource Groups (BRGs), the organization is also introducing two new leave programs in 2023. 

• The Flexible Family Leave program will provide two weeks of full pay to new mothers prior to the beginning of maternity leave and all new parents upon return from either maternity or parental leave. The leave program, which is often informally known as “ramp down” and “ramp up” leave, allows employees to work at a reduced capacity to help ease the transition of maternity leave and support growing families with balancing work and home responsibilities.    

• The Paid Caregiver Leave program will provide employees who are eligible for Family and Medical Leave (FMLA) with two weeks of full pay if they need to care for a family member on a continuous or intermittent basis. The purpose of the plan is to help ease the burden on employees who are balancing work with caring for a family member. 

“With these new programs, we’re continuing to build a solid support structure for our families,” said Santander US Chief Human Resources Officer Rosilyn Houston. “We’re committed to listening to our team members and continuously evaluating our benefit offerings to ensure we’re providing what they need at every stage of life.”