These companies are paying for abortion travel



These U.S. companies are paying for abortion travel
00:51

In the wake of the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade, major corporations are adding abortion travel costs to their employee benefits. 

The goal is to ensure their employees can seek abortion care if they live in states where the procedure is now or will soon be illegal. About 26 U.S. states are expected to swiftly outlaw abortion following the overturn of the landmark 1973 ruling, according to the Guttmacher Institute, which researches reproductive issues.

A trickle of companies announced abortion travel coverage earlier this year after states including Texas introduced restrictive abortion laws. But more corporations have followed in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling on Friday, with dozens of companies representing millions workers now pledging to cover travel costs in case their employees need abortion care. 

Here’s a rundown companies that have expanded coverage:

Amazon.com

The e-commerce giant — which employs 1.6 million workers — said it will reimburse up to $4,000 in travel costs for abortions. “Amazon has expanded the travel and lodging benefit to cover travel for a number of non-life threatening conditions if a provider is not available within 100 miles of an employee’s home,” an Amazon spokesperson told CBS MoneyWatch in an email.

Bank of America

The nation’s second-largest bank said it would cover travel costs for employees who need to go out of state to get reproductive services including abortions. 

Bumble

The dating-app company in September said it was setting up a fund to help organizations that support reproductive rights after Texas — the state where Bumble is based — banned abortion after six weeks of pregnancy. 

BuzzFeed

The media company is among those announcing they’d pay abortion-related travel expenses, according to the New York Times.

Cigna

“Cigna has employees in all 50 states, and we are committed to ensuring that they each have access to comprehensive health care, no matter where they live. We already offer our employees and their families travel reimbursement for certain health services, and we are expanding that benefit to include abortion care, gender-affirming care, and behavioral health services in states where access is restricted,” the health insurance provider said in an emailed statement. 

Citigroup  

The bank added the travel benefit to its workplace offerings after several states enacted restrictive reproductive health care laws. “Beginning in 2022 we provide travel benefits to facilitate access to adequate resources,” Citigroup stated in a regulatory filing on March 15.

CNN

The media company is among those covering abortion-related travel costs for workers, according to the New York Times.

Comcast

The parent of NBCUniversal will cover up to $4,000 a trip, and up to three a year, for employee medical travel, with an annual cap of $10,000, the newspaper said.

Condé Nast

The magazine publisher is also covering abortion-related travel costs for workers, the Times reported.

CVS Health 

The drugstore chain has reportedly made out-of-state medical care, including abortion, accessible for employees. 

Dick’s Sporting Goods

After the Supreme Court ruling, the retailer said it will reimburse as much as $4,000 in abortion travel costs “to the nearest location that care is legally available” for workers, their spouses and dependents. 

Estee Lauder 

The cosmetics company said earlier this month it will cover travel and lodging for reproductive health care in the U.S. starting in August.

Goldman Sachs Group 

The bank reportedly will cover travel costs for U.S.-based employees who need to go out of state to get abortions or gender-affirming care, starting July 1. 

Hewlett Packard 

The company is among those that cover travel costs for medical procedures not available in a worker’s home state. 

Ikea US

The furniture maker said it would expand employee benefits to include travel expense for medical procedures including abortion if unavailable within a reasonable distance. 

JPMorgan Chase

The nation’s biggest bank last week said it will cover the tab of travel to states where abortion remains legal starting in July.

Kroger  

The grocer, based in Ohio, is providing up to $4,000 to cover travel to a range of medical procedures, including abortion and fertility treatments. 

New York Times

The newspaper said it would expand its medical coverage to include abortion-related and gender-affirming care travel, as well as other procedures not available within 100 miles of an employee’s home. 

Lyft

The ride-hailing company’s U.S. medical benefits plan includes coverage for elective abortion and reimbursement for travel costs if an employee must travel more than 100 miles for an in-network provider.

Match Group 

Shar Dubey, the CEO of the Dallas-based company, in 2021 set up a fund to help any of the company’s Texas workers who might need to travel out of state for an abortion. 

MasterCard 

“We will continue to offer employees access to the same health care that is available today wherever they live,” a spokesperson for MasterCard stated in an email. That includes family planning

Meta Platforms 

The owner of Facebook and Instagram said it would reimburse travel expenses “to the extent permitted by law” for those who need to access out-of-state health care and reproductive services. 

Microsoft 

The technology company extended its financial support for “critical healthcare” including abortions to include covering travel expenses for such procedures. 

Paramount 

The media conglomerate, the owner of CBS News, told employees in an email following the Supreme Court decision that the company would cover travel costs to get a legal abortion. 

Patagonia 

The outdoor apparel company said it would cover the cost of medical insurance for full- and part-time workers, including abortion care. “Where restrictions exist, travel, lodging and food are covered,” the company said. It also vowed to cover “training and bail for those who peacefully protest for reproductive justice.”

Paypal 

The money transfer company decided to pay for employees to travel for abortions if necessary after the Texas Supreme Court upheld a law prohibiting abortion after a fetal heartbeat can be detected, something that can happen within six weeks of pregnancy. 

Procter & Gamble

Procter & Gamble said its new travel policy will cover workers who can’t access care from a provider within a 50-mile radius, and will take effect on January 1. The conglomerate, which makes household products such as Pampers and Tide, employs 26,000 people in the U.S. and is based in Ohio, which has an abortion ban.

Salesforce 

CEO Marc Benioff in September said the software company would help employees who wanted to leave Texas because of the state’s abortion restrictions.

Starbucks 

The coffee shop chain in May said it was expanding its existing medical insurance to cover costs for those who don’t have access to abortions within 100 miles of home.

Target

Target told its roughly 450,000 U.S. workers that it would reimburse travel costs related to any covered medical procedure that isn’t available nearby, starting in July. The discount retailer, headquartered in Minneapolis, operates about 2,000 stores across the country.

Tesla

The electric vehicle maker started offering “travel and lodging support for those who may need to seek healthcare services that are unavailable in their home state” last year, Tesla said in its 2021 impact report.

Uber 

The ride-hailing company said it’s committed to covering travel costs for employees to access healthcare services and it would cover legal costs for drivers to provide transportation to clinics. 

Vox Media

The company expanded its reproductive care coverage to include a reimbursement of up to $1,500 for travel-related costs, a decision kept separate from its coverage of the issue, its CEO told the New York Times.

Walt Disney 

The theme park operator on Friday pledged to cover travel costs for “family planning” for employees who can’t access care where they live, including “pregnancy-related decisions.” Disney employs 195,000.

Yelp

The app for crowdsourced business reviews said in early April it would pay for employees’ travel costs if they need to go out of state to get an abortion. 

Yahoo

The web services provider told workers in May it would reimburse up to $5,000 in costs for traveling more than 100 miles to access medical procedures, including abortion and contraceptive care.

Zendesk 

The company in May said it would provide up to $3,000 annually for U.S. employees who need to travel for reproductive care, including abortion. 

Zillow 

The real estate site updated its health plan as of June 1 to reimburse employees up to $7,500 each time significant travel is needed to access health care, including reproductive services or gender-affirming care.