June 25, 2022 - AXIOS

These companies are helping employees access abortions

Herb Scribner

Companies across the United States have announced plans to help employees who live in states with abortion restrictions gain access to reproductive health care.

Driving the news: After the Supreme Court issued a ruling overturning Roe v. Wade, several companies announced plans to help employees access reproductive health care options if their home state restricts them.

• Abortion can become illegal in at least 13 states now that the Supreme Court overturned the decision, Axios' Oriana Gonzalez writes.

The latest: Multiple companies said Friday that they would help employees access reproductive health care and pay for travel expenses.

Disney told employees Friday that "we recognize the impact of the ruling" and the company will provide access to quality and affordable care for employees and their families, which includes family planning and reproductive care, a Disney spokesperson told Axios.

• Disney employees who don't have access to care in one area have affordable coverage for receiving similar levels of care in another location," the spokesperson said.

Discord, the instant messaging social platform used by gamers, will offer up to $5,000 per year for full-time employees and their dependents to seek medical care outside of their own local area in order to access the resources they need, a spokesperson tells Axios.

• "Today’s SCOTUS ruling has taken away the ability for millions of people, including members of our team, to access critical health services," the spokesperson said.

Patagonia said in a statement Friday its U.S. employees on the company's health plan are covered for abortion care.

• "Caring for employees extends beyond basic health insurance, so we take a more holistic approach to coverage and support overall wellness to which every human has a right," the company said. "That means offering employees the dignity of access to reproductive health care."

Bungie, the Washington State-based video game studio that makes hit online game Destiny and is in the process of being sold to Sony for $3.6 billion, will reimburse employees who need to travel out of state for "essential" care, including abortions.

• Another studio, Texas-based Certain Affinity, will help pay "reasonable" relocation expenses to employees who want to move out of the state due to its abortion regulations.

Chobani said the company added a new policy in May 2022 that covers transportation, lodging and childcare costs for employees and defendants who need to travel out of state.

• The policy applies to cancer, gender reassignment care and abortion, the company tells Axios.

Lyft, which previously pledged to cover any legal fees in case their drivers are sued because of Oklahoma's new abortion bill, will expand its legal defense commitment to states that pass similar laws, a Lyft spokesperson told Axios.

• "No driver should have to ask a rider where they are going and why," the spokesperson said.
• Lyft's benefits plan includes coverage of elective abortion and reimbursement for travel costs if employees have to travel more than 100 miles for a provider

Goldman Sachs told employees the firm will cover costs of reimbursements for women to travel out of state for abortion services and gender-affirming care, Insider reports.

JP Morgan told workers it will pay for employees to travel to other states that allow legal abortions, CNBC reports.

Meta, the parent company of Facebook, said it will reimburse travel expenses for employees who are seeking out-of-state reproductive care, per Reuters.

Reddit said employees could receive a stipend to cover expenses for travel over medical procedures, including abortions, per the New York Times.

Alaska Air Group said it would reimburse travel for employees, too, Reuters reports.

Flashback: The move by corporations to help employees cover abortion travel costs kicked off in early May, after a leaked U.S. Supreme Court draft ruling indicated that the court could soon overturn Roe v. Wade.

Here are the companies who first announced plans to help employees access abortion services. 

Levi Strauss & Co. said in a statement that employees will be reimbursed for travel expenses for receiving health care services outside their state, including abortions.

• "We know this is a fraught conversation; it's not something we enter into lightly. But women make up 58% of our global workforce, and in recent years, numerous employees have expressed to leadership their growing alarm over the rollback of all forms of reproductive care," the company said.
• "Our position on this is in keeping with our efforts to support employees and family members at all stages of their lives."

Microsoft said it would help cover workers' travel expenses for abortions and gender-affirming care, per Bloomberg.

• The company said it would “support employees and their enrolled dependents in accessing critical health care -- which already includes services like abortion and gender-affirming care -- regardless of where they live across the U.S."
• “This support is being extended to include travel expense assistance for these and other medical services where access to care is limited in availability in an employee’s home geographic region.”

Apple said it would cover medical expenses for employees in Texas who have to travel outside of the state for abortions, per the Washington Post.

Tesla said it would cover travel costs for employees seeking abortions outside of their state, per the AP.

• The company's 2021 “Impact Report” released Friday said the company's Safety Net program will now include “travel and lodging support for those who may need to seek healthcare services that are unavailable in their home state.”
• Tesla's headquarters is located in Texas which has one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the country.

Salesforce said it is willing to relocate workers from Texas due to the state's new abortion law, CNBC reports.

Amazon said it would cover up to $4,000 in travel for United States workers who are seeking medical treatments, including abortions, per Reuters.

Uber and Lyft both pledged to cover any legal fees in case their drivers are sued because of Oklahoma's new abortion bill, which allows citizens to sue anyone they suspect has helped someone receive an abortion.

Citigroup will cover travel expenses for employees who are forced to travel outside their state for abortions, MarketWatch reports.

• "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 a filing back in April.

Yelp said it would offer assistance through the company's insurance plan for employees and their dependents if they need to travel out of state for an abortion, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Starbucks said that it will cover the travel expenses of employees seeking abortion or gender-affirming care.

Mastercard said it will cover travel expenses for employees who must travel out of state to receive abortions, with the new policy going into effect June 1, per Bloomberg.

Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.