These Companies Cover Travel Costs for Employees Seeking an Abortion
With Roe v. Wade overturned, many states have started implementing local bans on abortion. Which companies will pay for employees' abortion travel costs?
June 27 2022, Updated 12:49 p.m. ET
The Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. Wade ruling on June 24, 2022. After the overturn was announced, many companies stepped up to support employees seeking an abortion. Which companies cover abortion costs?
With Roe v. Wade being overturned by the Supreme Court, a number of states will implement a trigger ban that will automatically cut access to abortion and implement a fine or jail time for a person accessing one. The exceptions for those seeking an abortion are limited to situations involving sexual assault or incest, or where the mother's life is in danger. But exceptions range from state to state. To combat restrictions, some companies are covering abortion costs.
Which companies are covering abortion costs?
Salesforce, Starbucks, Microsoft, Amazon, Apple, Tesla, Citigroup, Yelp, Match, Bumble, and Levi Strauss are among the companies willing to cover travel costs for employees seeking an abortion. Last month, Starbucks announced that if an employee isn't able to access abortion care within 100 miles of their home, insurance will cover it.
Other companies include:
- Uber
- Lyft
- Paramount
- Dick's Sporting Goods
- Warner Bros.
- Alaska Airlines
- Meta
- BuzzFeed
- Conde Nast
- Disney
Employees enrolled in Starbucks healthcare can expect to be reimbursed for travel expenses if they're accessing abortion or gender-affirming care. This also applies to employees who have dependents covered under Starbucks medical insurance.
How will the companies cover abortion costs?
According to The Washington Post, several company executives took the time to explain their stance on the situation. Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser stated, "We've covered reproductive healthcare benefits for over 20 years, and our practice has also been to make sure our employees have the same coverage no matter where in the U.S. they live."
Yelp also stated that due to its widespread remote workforce, it wants to ensure that employees and their dependents can access reproductive healthcare wherever they live.
Employees may get reimbursed for travel and legal costs.
Amazon will cover up to $4,000 a year in travel expenses for employees who can't access abortion within 100 miles of where they live. Tesla, whose headquarters reside in Texas (a state with an abortion trigger ban), stated in its impact report that there will be "travel and lodging" help for those who need healthcare access that they can't get in their state.
Uber and Lyft have created a legal defense fund to cover the legal fees for drivers providing rides to those seeking an abortion. In Texas, drivers can be punished for taking someone to get an abortion.
According to CNN, Salesforce took its support a step further and told its employees via Slack, "If you have concerns about access to reproductive healthcare in your state, Salesforce will help relocate you and members of your immediate family." Match and Bumble will fund travel for abortion, and Levi Strauss will reimburse travel costs.
