Editor’s note, June 24, 2022: This post was originally published on May 7, following a leaked draft of a Supreme Court decision that signaled the Court was getting ready to overturn Roe v. Wade. On Friday, June 24, the Court released an official opinion that hewed closely to the language in the draft, undoing nearly 50 years of federal, legal protection to abortions and putting the matter back in the hands of the states. Forbes is continuing to track which companies are providing abortion-related benefits to employees who live in states that are restricting or banning abortion access.
Corporate America would prefer to talk about just about anything other than abortion. Climate change? A no-brainer. Voting access? An American right. So-called “bathroom bills”? A threat to employee well-being and safety.
But thanks to a leaked draft of a Supreme Court decision that would overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 ruling that made abortion a guaranteed right in the U.S., the chief executives of America’s biggest companies are being asked to take a position on—and in a growing number of cases, offer new benefits or funds to address—what has long been the third rail of American politics.“Like anything else social and political, there’s no middle ground anymore," says Anthony Johndrow, who leads a reputation advisory firm that counsels businesses on engaging in such issues. “Companies have found that to their chagrin, and it would be tough to find an issue that’s more emotionally loaded than this.”
Public-opinion surveys show that workers would welcome their employers’ help. Americans favor legislation that would legalize abortion nationwide by a nearly 20-point margin; a recent Morning Consult poll found that by a two-to-one margin, employed adults would prefer to live in a state where abortion is legal; and according to data released last fall, some two-thirds of college-educated workers have said they would not move to a state with extreme abortion restrictions.
That’s why more companies, amid sweeping restrictions in states like Texas, Oklahoma and Mississippi and ahead of the expected repeal of Roe, are announcing they’ll help employees who need abortion services and reproductive healthcare no matter where they live.For shareholder activists like Shelley Alpern, who runs corporate engagement initiatives at Rhia Ventures, a nonprofit that invests in reproductive health companies, the corporations that have thus far stayed quiet will need to speak up. “I think they’re being advised by their PR firms to stay silent on this,” she says. The silence is “not only disgraceful, it’s just so tone deaf in the moment. These questions are not going to go away. Half of all the people who work in corporations are wondering right now what their benefits are.”
In a fast-moving environment where lawmakers are already threatening to penalize companies that provide such benefits, some employers may be waiting for the Supreme Court’s actual decision on Roe. Others are reportedly considering special benefits. For now, here are the companies, updated as announcements are disclosed, that have said they’ll provide assistance to employees facing the barriers of restrictive laws:
Amazon
Amazon has told its U.S. employees, according to a message obtained by Reuters, that it will cover up to $4,000 of travel expenses for medical procedures, including abortion. The benefit is retroactive to Jan. 1, 2022, and will kick in if a procedure (any medical procedure, not just abortion) is not available within 100 miles of an employee’s home and virtual care is not available. The company has not yet replied to a Forbes request for comments.
Amalgamated Bank
The union-owned bank said in a statement that it will cover travel expenses “for employees and their dependents who need to travel out of state to access reproductive health care.” The benefit includes airfare, gasoline costs, hotel fees and meal expenses, as well as up to five days of childcare expenses for an employee’s young children who might need to stay home during the trip. The bank also said it was launching a grassroots fundraising drive for organizations responding to the access issue called the Critical Reproductive Access Fund (CRAF).
Apple
The company has said that its health plan covers abortion care and travel costs if necessary, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal. Forbes has reached out to the company for comment.
Bumble
Following the September enactment of SB 8 in Texas–the bill banning abortion after six weeks of pregnancy, a point at which many women don’t even know they’re pregnant–Bumble announced a relief fund for women and people across the gender spectrum affected by the legislation. “Bumble is women-founded and women-led, and from day one we’ve stood up for the most vulnerable. We'll keep fighting against regressive laws like #SB8,” the company said at the time.
Citigroup
In its 2022 proxy statement, the Wall Street bank said that “in response to changes in reproductive healthcare laws in certain states,” it would begin providing travel benefits this year “to facilitate access to adequate resources.” In response, one Texas legislator warned he would introduce a bill to keep the bank from underwriting municipal loans in the state unless Citigroup changed the policy. The company said any U.S. employee enrolled in its health plan would be eligible and the benefit is managed through its health plan.
Chobani
The yogurt company’s founder and CEO, Hamdi Ulukaya, said on Twitter Thursday that it amended its health plan to cover costs related to transportation, lodging and childcare when workers or their dependents must travel for health care not available locally, noting that includes women’s reproductive healthcare services. “Businesses have an obligation to prioritize their employees’ health, safety and wellbeing,” Ulukaya tweeted, noting “we hope other employers will do the same as we navigate this challenging new environment together.” In a memo sent to employees, president Kevin Burns wrote “for Chobani, this is not a political stance or posturing – it’s a reaffirmation of our core belief that we will strive to do what’s best for the safety, health and well-being of our employees and their families.”
Dick’s Sporting Goods
Hours after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade on Friday, June 24, Dick’s CEO Lauren Hobart posted to LinkedIn saying, “While we do not know what decision each state will make in response to this ruling, we at DICK’S Sporting Goods are prepared to ensure that all of our teammates have consistent and safe access to the benefits we provide, regardless of the state in which they live.” Hobart went on to say that Dick’s will provide up to $4,000 in reimbursement for employees to travel to the nearest location where abortions are legally available. She she said the benefit will extend to employees’ spouses or dependents enrolled in the company’s medical plan, along “with one support person.”
DoorDash
The food delivery platform said it would begin covering certain travel-related expenses for employees and their dependents who are enrolled in its health plan and have to travel out of state for abortion-related care and live in states where there are barriers to access.
Hims & Hers
The telehealth company—which sells over the counter and prescription medicine including birth control and erectile disfunction medication but not, currently, abortion pills—announced on LinkedIn on May 10 that it will provide “$6,000 in travel reimbursement and two weeks of leave for any employee and their partner who need to travel to a state that offers reproductive healthcare access.” In a statement posted to Twitter that same day, Hims founder and CEO Andrew Dudum noted, “I can’t pretend to know how difficult this issue is for so many people, but I do know how personal a decision it is to become a parent. Everyone, regardless of where they live, must be free to make that decision for themselves & no one should have it dictated to them.”
Interpublic Group, Publicis Groupe and WPP
They're three of the largest multinational communications and public relations firms in the world, and they appear to be coalescing on similar strategies: On May 6, WPP CEO Mark Read sent a memo to employees saying the agency holding company would be “updating its benefits plan to provide funding for travel that allows consistent access to healthcare and resources, including abortion care.” The benefit would apply to all U.S. agencies, Read told employees in a memo viewed by Forbes; he went on to note that "we want our people to have the same health coverage regardless of where they live." And on May 9, AdAge reported that two other holding companies, Interpublic Group and Publicis Groupe, will also pay for travel costs related to abortion care for U.S. employees. Representatives of Interpublic and Publicis did not immediately respond to confirm details.
Levi Strauss & Co.
The denim maker said in a May 4 statement that its current benefits plan makes employees “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.” It also said employees not on its benefits plan—including hourly workers who are part-time—”can seek reimbursement for travel costs incurred under the same circumstances.” Coverage and travel reimbursement for all forms of medical care not available in an employee’s home state was already part of its benefits package, the company said.
“Business leaders are responsible for protecting the health and well-being of our employees, and that includes protecting reproductive rights and abortion access,” the company said in its statement. “Access to reproductive health care, including abortion, has been a critical factor to the workplace gains and contributions women have made over the past 50 years. Further restricting or criminalizing access will jeopardize that progress and disproportionately affect women of color, putting their well-being at risk and impeding diverse hiring pipelines.”
Lyft
In September, the ride-sharing service vowed to protect its Texas-based drivers against the “bounty” portion of SB 8, and in April, following a copycat law in Oklahoma, Lyft CEO Logan Green announced, via Twitter, an expansion of benefits, including covering travel costs for U.S. employees enrolled in the company’s health plan who need to travel more than 100 miles to access abortion services.
Match Group
In an internal memo released in fall 2021, now-outgoing CEO Shar Dubey told employees that she had set up a fund for workers affected by SB 8.
Microsoft
On May 9, Microsoft said that it is extending travel expense assistance to employees seeking abortion and “gender-affirming care” and who have limited access to these services in their home state. A Microsoft spokesperson told Forbes that the company will do “everything we can under the law to protect our employees’ rights and support employees and their enrolled dependents in accessing critical healthcare.”
Netflix
Through its U.S. health plans, Netflix added travel reimbursement coverage this summer for U.S. employees and their dependents who need to travel for cancer treatment, transplants, gender affirming care or abortion. The benefit is limited to a $10,000 lifetime allowance per service for each employee and their family.
Power Home Remodeling
The exterior home remodeling company announced a new policy May 17 offering employees up to $5,000 in lifetime reimbursement for travel and lodging for medical care not available within 100 miles of a worker’s residence. The company said in its announcement that the new policy was established “in response to recent changes in reproductive healthcare laws enacted in several states, which impacts hundreds of Power employees across the U.S.” The policy is available immediately and is available to employees and dependents on the company’s healthcare plan; a family’s lifetime reimbursement limit is $10,000.
Salesforce
The software giant told employees in September, according to a Slack message obtained by CNBC, that the company would assist employees with relocating after Texas passed a restrictive abortion law. According to CNBC, the message said, “If you have concerns about access to reproductive healthcare in your state, Salesforce will help relocate you and members of your immediate family.” Salesforce co-CEO Marc Benioff also tweeted to his “ohana,” a Hawaiian concept referring to family, that “if you want to move we’ll help you exit TX. Your choice.” Salesforce did not immediately respond to messages from Forbes about the issue.
Starbucks
In a memo released on May 16, Starbucks acting vice president for partner resources Sara Kelly announced that regardless of where an employee lives or what they believe, Starbucks will reimburse employees and their enrolled dependents and partners for any travel expenses incurred while obtaining abortion services or gender-affirming healthcare “when those services are not available within 100 miles of a partner’s home.” Kelly said that the timing of the benefit expansion is still being determined, but in the meantime she is “deeply concerned by the draft Supreme Court opinion related to the constitutional right to abortion that was first established by Roe v. Wade.”
Tesla
Buried within the electric carmaker’s new 2021 Impact Report—which it released on May 6—was a reference to an expanded “Safety Net” program and health insurance coverage that includes “travel and lodging support for those who may need to seek healthcare services in their home state.” Tesla investor relations has not yet replied to a Forbes request for clarification around whether this policy was created in response to state-by-state abortion restrictions.
United Talent Agency
In a memo to employees the Hollywood talent agency posted on its site May 4, CEO Jeremy Zimmer said it will reimburse travel expenses “related to receiving women’s reproductive health services that are not accessible in their state of residence.” In the memo, Zimmer said, “we’re doing this to support the right to choose that has been a bedrock of settled law for almost half a century.”
Yelp
Though Yelp’s health insurance already included abortion care, it now also provides travel benefits for covered U.S. employees and dependents who need to travel out of state for access, provided through the insurance provider. In an email to Forbes, the company said it not only covers employees currently impacted by restricted access to abortion, but those who may be in the future, too. On May 3, Yelp co-founder and CEO Jeremy Stoppelman said the company would double-match employee donations to groups like Center for Reproductive Rights and Planned Parenthood through the month of June.
June 24, 2022