Zora Health / Employer guide / Americas
Compare fertility support for employees across 14 markets in the Americas.
Public IVF funding, eligibility rules and leave differ from one market to the next. Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica and Uruguay offer IVF through national public or mandated cover, and Canada through some provinces; in the other nine countries public IVF is scarce, court-ordered or absent. Surrogacy is unregulated in eight countries, limited to unpaid or altruistic arrangements in Brazil, Canada and Uruguay, and set state by state in Mexico and the United States. Each country guide has the full detail and sources.
Overview
| Country | Public IVF funding | Eligibility and limits | Egg freezing | Surrogacy | Maternity and paternity leave |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | Insurers and public sector must cover; 3 high-complexity treatments a year | Cover until 44 with own eggs, 51 with donor eggs | Allowed; covered for medical reasons only | Not regulated; contested in the courts | Maternity 90 days paid by ANSES; paternity 2 days |
| Brazil | Scarce SUS IVF; health plans pay only if the contract covers it | Women up to 50 as a rule; SUS centres often about 38 | Allowed for medical and non-medical reasons; privately paid | Unpaid, by a relative up to the fourth degree only | Maternity 120 days, paternity 5; more at Empresa Cidadã firms |
| Canada | Varies by province; Ontario and Quebec fund one cycle | Ontario under 43; Quebec started before 41; BC 41 or younger | Legal and self-funded; funded only for medical reasons | Altruistic only; paying a surrogate is a crime | EI: 15 weeks maternity, 40 weeks shared parental at 55% |
| Chile | FONASA funds up to 2 IVF cycles; isapres match PAD amounts | No fixed age cut-off; PAD needs FONASA group B, C or D | Allowed; mostly private, not covered by FONASA | Not regulated by law; ban bill pending | Maternity 18 weeks plus 12 weeks parental; paternity 5 days |
| Colombia | Excluded from EPS plan; courts may order up to 3 attempts | Court funding mainly for primary infertility, no prior IVF, low income | Legal with no age or storage limit; privately paid | Neither regulated nor expressly prohibited | Maternity 18 weeks; paternity 2 weeks |
| Costa Rica | Free CCSS IVF at one public unit; limited places | Infertile adult couples or women without a partner; donor eggs over 42 | Allowed privately; free at CCSS for cancer patients | Not regulated by law | Maternity 4 months at full pay; private sector paternity 8 days |
| Dominican Republic | None; Basic Health Plan excludes infertility treatment | No assisted reproduction law sets limits | Offered by clinics; no law; not publicly funded | Not regulated; legal position unclear | Maternity 14 weeks subsidy; paternity 2 days |
| Ecuador | None; IESS, Ministry of Health and insurers do not fund it | No law sets limits; assisted reproduction bill pending | Legal; no age or storage limit; privately paid | Not regulated; pending bill would prohibit it | Maternity 12 weeks; paternity 15 days |
| Guatemala | None; IGSS lists no infertility treatment | No law; access set by each clinic | Offered privately; no law sets limits | Not regulated or banned; birth mother is legal mother | Maternity 84 days at full pay; paternity 2 days |
| Mexico | Scarce; IMSS does no IVF, ISSSTE at one hospital | No federal limits; ISSSTE age limit of 35 struck down | Allowed; no federal limits; privately paid | Set by state; banned in Querétaro and San Luis Potosí | Maternity 12 weeks on full pay; paternity 5 working days |
| Panama | No CSS cover found; small subsidised programme at Hospital Santo Tomás | No law; public programme for couples, women under 40 at launch | Legal with no limits; not offered publicly | Not regulated; contracts likely treated as null | Maternity 14 weeks at full pay; paternity 3 working days |
| Peru | No EsSalud or SIS cover; one public service at INMP | Genetic and gestational mother must be the same person | Allowed; no law sets limits; privately paid | No legal validity; barred where infertility is treatable | Maternity 98 days; paternity 10 calendar days |
| United States | No public funding; 15 state mandates bind fully insured plans | No federal limits; state mandates exclude self-funded plans | Legal; usually self-paid; no federal limits | Set by each state | No federal paid leave; FMLA up to 12 weeks unpaid |
| Uruguay | FNR funds up to 3 IVF attempts; income-based co-payment | FNR funding over 18 and under 40; treatment under 60 | Allowed; private, funded only before cancer treatment | Unpaid, within the family only, for medical reasons | Maternity 14 weeks; private sector paternity 20 days in total |
What employers need to know in each country
Each card sums up the country guide: the point that matters most for a fertility benefit, the typical private cost and anything that may change soon. The guide has the full detail and sources.
Argentina
Law 26.862 already requires obras sociales and prepagas to cover IVF up to 44 with own eggs, though insurers may now set co-payments freely. A benefit adds most value by funding co-payments, elective egg freezing and treatment beyond the legal limits.
- Typical private cost. ARS 5,000,000 to 12,000,000 per cycle, Buenos Aires (April 2026)
- Worth watching. Health data bill 3397-D-2026 still under debate
Brazil
Health plans need not pay for IVF unless the contract says so, and public IVF is scarce, with reported waits of 1 to 2 years. Employers wanting IVF cover must negotiate it with the plan or fund an allowance separately.
- Typical private cost. R$ 25,000 to 50,000 per private cycle (2024)
- Worth watching. Paternity leave rises to 10 days from January 2027
Canada
Public IVF funding depends on the employee’s province, from one funded cycle in Ontario to income-tested grants in British Columbia. One allowance set against private prices fills the gaps, such as medication, further cycles and elective egg freezing.
- Typical private cost. C$9,000 per cycle plus about C$5,000 medication, Toronto clinic
- Worth watching. Federal IVF pledge unfunded; Budget 2026 due 5 November 2026
Chile
FONASA and isapres both fund IVF, but the PAD co-payment still tops CLP 2 million for a full cycle and public hospital places are limited. A fixed allowance can cover co-payments, private cycles and elective egg freezing, which FONASA does not fund.
- Typical private cost. CLP 4,000,000 to 6,000,000 per cycle, Santiago (May 2026)
- Worth watching. Surrogacy ban bill pending; data law start may move to 2027
Colombia
IVF is excluded from the EPS benefits plan, so most employees pay privately, with court-ordered funding only in exceptional cases. Law 2466 now requires paid leave for specialist appointments, but an allowance is needed to meet treatment costs.
- Typical private cost. COP 18 to 25 million per cycle, before medication (May 2026)
- Worth watching. Bill 215 would ban surrogacy; Bill 014 extends paternity leave
Costa Rica
The CCSS offers free IVF, but at a single public unit where staff shortages have cut cycles and lengthened waiting lists. A fixed allowance lets employees use private clinics instead of waiting, and covers elective egg freezing.
- Typical private cost. US$3,928 to 4,500 per cycle, plus medication (April 2023)
- Worth watching. Bill 25.049 would give private sector fathers one month
Dominican Republic
The Basic Health Plan excludes infertility treatment and no published plan covers IVF, so employees pay clinics directly. With no law on assisted reproduction and no public funding, a fixed allowance is the main way an employer can help.
- Typical private cost. US$5,000 to 8,000 per cycle (March 2026)
- Worth watching. Paternity leave must be revised after ruling TC/0901/23
Ecuador
No public programme or insurer was found to fund IVF, so employees pay about US$5,000 to US$7,500 a cycle themselves. The assisted reproduction bill has stalled in the National Assembly, so a fixed allowance is the practical form of support.
- Typical private cost. About US$5,000 to US$7,500 per cycle (2025)
- Worth watching. Assisted reproduction bill stalled at second debate
Guatemala
The IGSS lists no infertility treatment and private insurers covered only diagnosis in a 2020 study, so employees pay clinics directly. Prices are often quoted in US dollars, so a fixed allowance in quetzales keeps the budget predictable.
- Typical private cost. US$4,875 per attempt at one clinic, before medication (2020)
- Worth watching. Data protection bill Iniciativa 6464 awaiting committee report
Mexico
IMSS, which covers private-sector employees, mainly offers lower-complexity treatment and does not perform IVF, so most employees pay private clinics. A fixed allowance covers the IVF, ICSI and egg freezing that IMSS and ISSSTE leave out.
- Typical private cost. MX$149,500 to 167,000 per cycle, one Mexico City clinic (August 2025)
- Worth watching. 20-day paternity leave bill awaiting full Senate vote
Panama
No Caja de Seguro Social cover for IVF was found, and the subsidised public programme is small and limited to couples, so most employees pay private clinics. A fixed allowance covers private cycles of about US$5,600 and elective egg freezing.
- Typical private cost. About US$5,600 per cycle at one clinic (2025 and 2026)
- Worth watching. Draft bill would raise paternity leave to 10 days
Peru
EsSalud, the SIS and most private insurers do not cover IVF, so most employees pay clinics directly. The law also restricts egg donation and surrogacy, so a benefit should fund local IVF and egg freezing and point employees to legal advice.
- Typical private cost. About S/ 16,000 per cycle (2024)
- Worth watching. Bill would raise paternity leave to 28 days
United States
State IVF mandates bind only fully insured plans, and 67% of covered workers were in self-funded plans in 2025, so cover is usually the employer’s choice. The median employer lifetime limit of US$20,000 can go on one cycle.
- Typical private cost. US$12,000 to 25,000 per cycle (October 2025)
- Worth watching. Excepted fertility benefit rule and EEOC PWFA revision pending
Uruguay
The Fondo Nacional de Recursos funds up to 3 IVF attempts for women under 40, with co-payments of up to 85% depending on income. A fixed allowance can cover these co-payments, treatment at 40 or over and elective egg freezing.
- Typical private cost. UYU 344,182 per cycle, FNR reference price (2026)
- Worth watching. FNR co-payment table valid to 31 December 2026
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