By Weston Blasi
The Supreme Court has voted to overturn Roe v. Wade , and many companies are offering to help their employees find reproductive care outside of their home states — which may yet be impacted the court’s ruling.
Yahoo, Target Corp. /zigman2/quotes/207799045/composite TGT -0.55% and Procter & Gamble /zigman2/quotes/202894679/composite PG +1.01% are among the latest companies offering to reimburse their employees for travel costs when workers seek reproductive care in other states, including abortion and gender-affirming procedures. The benefit is available to any employee who cannot access these services within 100 miles of where they live, and also applies to the workers’ dependents.
Several other companies, including Disney /zigman2/quotes/203410047/composite DIS -0.14% , Netflix /zigman2/quotes/202353025/composite NFLX +1.71% , Condé Nast, Dick’s Sporting Goods /zigman2/quotes/200566298/composite DKS -0.49% , Starbucks, Tesla, Citigroup, Yelp, Lyft, Levi Strauss and Amazon, have also previously announced that they would cover travel expenses for workers with limited access to safe abortion procedures in their home states.
And banks including JPMorgan Chase & Co. /zigman2/quotes/205971034/composite JPM -0.08% , Bank of America Corp. /zigman2/quotes/200894270/composite BAC -0.73% , Goldman Sachs Group Inc. /zigman2/quotes/209237603/composite GS -0.02% and Citigroup Inc /zigman2/quotes/207741460/composite C +0.26% . have also extended their travel benefits to employees seeking abortions in other states after the SCOTUS decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
Read More: Instagram and Facebook are quickly removing posts offering abortion pills
But some Republicans have called out companies for reimbursing workers who travel for reproductive care, including abortion. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) proposed legislation that would prohibit employers from deducting expenses related to their employees’ abortion travel costs, or gender-affirming care for young children of their employees.
In May, a leaked draft opinion first revealed that the Supreme Court may look to overturn Roe v. Wade , the landmark case that legalized abortion in 1973. And this spurred questions about what would happen next , including which states would “trigger” a ban on abortion once the ruling was overturned.
Related: Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade: An estimated 40 million women will lose access to abortion
In fact, “Can you travel to another state for an abortion?” was a breakout Google search in the day following the leaked Roe v. Wade draft opinion, which means the search term spiked by more than 5,000%.
And roughly one in three voters (31%) said that an abortion ban would make a state a “less desirable” place to live, according to a new Suffolk University and USA Today poll.
The Human Cost: ‘I’ll do anything to keep my family together’: Trans kids’ parents are draining their savings to flee conservative states
These are some of the companies that have said they will cover travel costs for their employees seeking abortions, and how much some of them will reimburse.
Amazon
Prior to the Supreme Court leak, Amazon /zigman2/quotes/210331248/composite AMZN +2.43% told staff that the company will cover travel expenses for all non-life-threatening medical treatments, including abortions. The e-commerce giant, which is the second-largest private employer in the U.S. behind Walmart /zigman2/quotes/207374728/composite WMT +1.60% , said it will reimburse up to $4,000 per year for such expenses.
Also see: Joe Manchin reacts to Roe v. Wade ruling: ‘I trusted Justice Gorsuch and Justice Kavanaugh’
The new benefit is effective retroactively to Jan. 1, and applies when the procedure is unavailable within 100 miles of the employee’s home, and virtual care is not possible. It is open to U.S. employees (including warehouse and office workers) or covered dependents enrolled in Premera or Aetna health plans.
Citigroup
Citigroup /zigman2/quotes/207741460/composite C +0.26% also began covering travel expenses earlier this year for U.S. employees forced to go out of state for abortions. About 8,500 of the banking giant’s 65,000 U.S. employees are in Texas, which has banned abortions in the state after about six weeks of pregnancy.
“In response to changes in reproductive health care laws in certain states in the U.S., beginning in 2022 we provide travel benefits to facilitate access to adequate resources,” the company said in an April filing .
Condé Nast
According to a statement memo from Condé Nast CEO Roger Lynch, which was released the day that SCOTUS announced its decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, the media giant will reimburse travel and lodging expenses for employees who seek abortions and infertility or gender-reaffirming services.
Lynch said the ruling from the Supreme Court was a “crushing blow to reproductive rights,” the Condé Nast-owned magazine Vanity Fair reported . And the company will offer “enhancements to our U.S. health benefits to assist covered employees and their covered dependents in obtaining access to reproductive care regardless of where they reside.”
Disney
After the Supreme Court ruled to overturn Roe v. Wade, Disney /zigman2/quotes/203410047/composite DIS -0.14% said it would cover travel costs for employees for “family planning,” including out-of-state abortions. Disney employs about 195,000 people, including an estimated 80,000 in Florida — where a bill banning abortions after 15 weeks is set to go into effect in July.
“We recognize the impact of the ruling and that we remain committed to providing comprehensive access to quality and affordable care for all our employees, cast members and their families, including family planning and reproductive care, no matter where they live,” a Disney spokesperson told CBS the same day as the Supreme Court ruling was released.
Dick’s Sporting Goods
Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc. /zigman2/quotes/200566298/composite DKS -0.49% said it would reimburse employees up to $4,000 for abortion-related travel expenditures, the company said in a statement that was in response to the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade ruling. And the coverage will extend to spouses and dependents enrolled in the company’s medical plan, along with one support person.
“We are making this decision so our teammates can access the same health care options, regardless of where they live, and choose what is best for them,” Ed Stack, the company’s executive chairman, and CEO Lauren Hobart said.
DoorDash
DoorDash /zigman2/quotes/222973991/composite DASH -0.27% had said that it will begin covering travel expenses for abortion procedures after the Supreme Court document was first leaked.
See also: California is sending ‘inflation relief’ checks up to $1,050 — here’s who qualifies
“It’s paramount that all DoorDash employees and their dependents covered on our health plans have access to safe, timely healthcare. This is one of our guiding principles as an employer,” a DoorDash spokesperson told MarketWatch. “Because safe abortion procedures may become severely limited in more states, DoorDash will cover certain travel-related expenses for employees who face new barriers to access and need to travel out of state for abortion-related care.”
Google parent company Alphabet /zigman2/quotes/202490156/composite GOOGL -0.29% said that it offers travel cost coverage for employees who seek abortions out of state, a company spokesperson told The Wall Street Journal . The coverage, which Google began offering within the past year, applies to only full-time employees.
See also: ‘People will die’ vs. ‘courageous and correct’: Democrats and Republicans react to Roe v. Wade reversal
Levi Strauss
Clothing-maker Levi Strauss /zigman2/quotes/204763189/composite LEVI +0.52% announced in May that the company will also cover travel costs for medical procedures that cannot be performed in the state their employees live in, which includes abortion.
The company says employees are “ eligible for reimbursement for healthcare-related travel expenses for services not available in their home state, including those related to reproductive health care and abortion.”
Levi Strauss also noted that its employees are particularly impacted by the issue of reproductive rights, as 58% of the company’s global workforce is female. “Given what is at stake, business leaders need to make their voices heard and act to protect the health and well-being of our employees,” the company added in its announcement. “That means protecting reproductive rights.”
Mastercard
According to a Mastercard /zigman2/quotes/207581792/composite MA -0.96% company memo seen by Reuters , the financial services company will cover costs associated with travel and lodging for employees seeking abortions in states they don’t live in.
Add to watchlist
TGT
Add to watchlist
DIS
Add to watchlist
NFLX
Add to watchlist
DKS
Add to watchlist
JPM
Add to watchlist
BAC
Add to watchlist
AMZN
Add to watchlist
WMT
Add to watchlist
DIS
Add to watchlist
DKS
Add to watchlist
DASH
Add to watchlist
GOOGL
Add to watchlist
LEVI
