Following the announcement of the U.S. Supreme Court decision on Friday that eliminated the federal right to abortion, several companies have released statements stating that they are committed to helping employees access health care they may not be able to obtain on their own. States.
Starting in May, when a leaked memo from Supreme Court justices predicted their decision on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, several companies began announcing policies to cover the travel expenses of employees who needed abortions.
Among these companies are Starbucks, Tesla, Yelp, Airbnb, Microsoft, Netflix, Patagonia, DoorDash, JPMorgan Chase, Levi Strauss & Co., PayPal and Reddit. Others, including Disney, Meta, Dick’s Sporting Goods and Condé Nast, joined them on Friday as the Supreme Court decision was formalized, although most avoided making direct reference to the Court’s decision.
Johnson & Johnson said on Friday: “As the most broadly based medical products company in the world, we seek to improve physical and financial affordability, create healthier communities and put health within the reach of the people we serve. We believe that Health decisions must be made by individuals in consultation with their physicians.”
Levi Strauss & Co. urged businessmen to take a stand against the court ruling. “Protecting reproductive rights is a critical business issue that impacts our workforce, our economy and progress toward gender and racial equity,” the company said. “Given the stakes, business leaders need to make their voices heard.”
A spokeswoman for JPMorgan Chase, the largest national bank with about 170,000 employees in the United States, said the company seeks to promote equal access to healthcare for all its employees. The spokeswoman highlighted a June 1 memo informing employees that their travel costs will be covered by the bank if they need to travel distances greater than 120 km to access certain medical procedures, including termination of pregnancy.
Reddit also said that its employees can receive financial aid for travel to perform procedures such as abortion. “Our benefits programs are aimed at supporting the health and safety of our employees, and we also have robust policies to support women in the workplace,” said a company representative.
See what other companies said:
- Warner Brothers has announced that it will cover travel expenses for abortions. “In light of the recent Supreme Court ruling, we immediately expanded our health benefit options to cover travel expenses for employees and their family members included in their coverage who need to travel for access to abortion and reproductive care,” said a spokesperson. company voice.
- Disney said it will also cover travel expenses: “We recognize the impact the Supreme Court ruling announced today could have on many Americans,” wrote human resources director Paul Richardson and Disney vice president Pascale Thomas.
- A spokesperson for Meta said: “We intend to reimburse travel expenses, to the extent permitted by law, for employees who need to travel to access medical care and reproductive services in other states. given the legal complexities involved.”
- Bank of America announced: “We have expanded the list of medical treatments that are now eligible for reimbursement of travel expenses. This list now includes cancer treatments, organ transplants at centers of excellence, reproductive health including abortion and medical hospitalizations for mental health issues.”
- Intuit said on Friday it will cover travel expenses for employees to have an abortion. “We support our employees’ access to comprehensive healthcare, regardless of where they reside,” the company said. “We will continue to do our best to best support our employees’ continued access to the full range of medical care they deem appropriate.”
- Condé Nast said it will cover travel and accommodation expenses for its employees to have abortions. “It’s a crushing blow to reproductive rights that have been protected for nearly half a century,” said company CEO Roger Lynch.
- Zillow announced that it will reimburse its employees up to $7,500 when they have to travel long distances for medical procedures, including abortions. “We strongly support and will continue to support our employees’ right to make the best medical decisions for them,” a spokeswoman said.
- Box, which had previously said it would cover travel expenses for employees to have abortions, said it was “disappointed with the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.”
- Salesforce said it will transfer employees who are concerned about the possibility of having abortions in Texas. “We will continue to offer long-standing travel and transfer benefits to ensure our employees and their families have access to critical health care,” said a company representative.
- Patagonia reaffirmed its commitment to cover travel expenses for employees to have an abortion. “Caring for employees isn’t just about ensuring basic health insurance,” the company said on LinkedIn. “It means supporting your choices about having or not having a child.”
- Dick’s Sporting Goods said it will reimburse up to $4,000 of travel expenses for employees residing in states that restrict access to abortion and announced that the policy will also extend to any spouse or dependent covered by the company’s medical plan.
- Lyft, which had previously announced that it would cover travel expenses for abortions, said the Supreme Court’s ruling “will harm millions of women by eliminating their access to safe reproductive health services that guarantee their privacy.” It also said it was expanding its “commitment to legal defense” to protect drivers who could be prosecuted for taking people to abortion clinics. “No driver should be obligated to ask a passenger where they are going and for what purpose,” Lyft said.
- Uber emphasized the company’s health coverage for “reproductive health, including termination of pregnancy,” and its commitment to covering travel expenses for employees to access health care. “We will also continue to protect our drivers by reimbursing their legal costs if any driver is prosecuted under state law for transporting passengers to a clinic,” the company said.
