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Now that the United States has a variety of different abortion laws, women who want to end a pregnancy and can afford to travel can go to states where abortion is still legal. Other women may rely on employers to provide money for transportation.
When the Supreme Court overturned the ruling guaranteeing the right to abortion nationwide, several states immediately began implementing abortion bans. Then some companies decided to cover their employees’ travel expenses to perform abortions outside the country where they live.
Even before issuing the decision, the company “Starbucks” assured the employees that their health care plan would include, “the possibility of financial coverage of travel for medical reasons to have access to an abortion.”
The company “Procter & Gamble” did the same thing. It covers travel for organ transplants and other procedures, but promises next year to expand coverage for abortions if the employee has to travel more than 80 kilometers to the nearest abortion clinic.
The identity of women seeking abortion travel funds will be protected by a federal law that is in effect.
When Texas banned most abortions, the CEO of Salesforce offered to move his employees to another state.
New laws in various states banning abortion criminalize anyone who “aids or abets” abortion. Some estimate that these laws also include health insurance companies, or executives of companies that provide access to abortion.
Attorney Kathryn Bakich from Segal Group is an experienced health care benefits expert.
“We have already started working to verify if some of these laws are unclear and how they can be enforced”says Mrs. Bakich.
Insurance companies are subject to state laws, and so other experts say states may ban coverage for abortion travel. For companies, however, it is a huge savings if they offer coverage for abortion travel expenses. Case Western Reserve University professor Maxwell Mehlman explains.
“Companies have realized that this is in their interest, because it’s much cheaper to pay, say, $500 to help someone go to another state, and have an abortion, than to pay for a pregnancy and the expenses medicine that she brings”, says Mr. Mehlman.
Dick’s sporting goods CEO Lauren Hobart publicly pledged to provide up to $4,000 toward abortion travel expenses. She admitted that not everyone would agree with the decision, but for the company in question and other similar businesses, the decision is in line with the new image that these companies are creating in the public opinion.
“This could be about their diversity, equality and inclusion initiatives, as they don’t want to stand aside on important topics and want to let their employees and customers know where they stand. I think this is a new phenomenon”says the expert from the company “Segal Group”, Kathryn Bakich.
For employers, publicly pledging to support abortion rights is a difficult decision because it could result in resentment among their conservative clients. But, at the same time, it can also attract new employees./VOA
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