On Friday, the United States Supreme Court released its ruling in the case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. The case surrounds a 15-week abortion ban in Mississippi. The justices voted 6-3 to overrule Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey.
Following the news, reports broke that major companies were scrambling to adjust policies to help their employees obtain abortions in states where the procedure remains legal.
Reportedly, JPMorgan sent a message to employees expanding their medical benefits to pay for travel to states that allow legal abortion.
The memo was first reviewed by CNBC.
“Effective in July, you will be able to access additional covered benefits under the U.S. Medical Plan,” the New York-based bank told workers. Those changes include “family-building benefits, such as cryopreservation,” and enhanced benefits for LGBT+ workers, the bank said.
“We will also expand our existing health care travel benefit, which today covers certain services such as organ transplants, to all covered health care services that can only be obtained far from your home,” JPMorgan told its staff.
The report from CNBC added that a Q&A webpage linked to the memo said that the company would cover abortion travel costs.
In a question-and-answer web page linked to the June 1 memo, the bank directly addressed whether it was covering abortion, as well as out-of-state travel to have the procedure.
“Will you pay for an employee to travel to another state to seek an abortion if their state won’t allow them to get one?” the bank said.
“Yes. Our health care plans have historically covered travel benefits for certain covered services that would require travel,” JPMorgan said. “Beginning in July, we will expand this benefit to include all covered services that can only be obtained far from your home, which would include legal abortion.”
Abortions have long been covered by the company’s health plan, the bank added.
JPMorgan is not alone. Several other companies unveiled plans to cover abortion expenses for employees following the Supreme Court’s strike down of Roe.
The Hollywood Reporter reported that Paramount CEO Bob Bakish and Warner Bros. Discovery Chief People and Culture Office Adria Alpert Romm sent emails to employees on Friday vowing to cover travel-related expenses for employees in areas where abortion is not accessible.
At Paramount, CEO Bob Bakish sent employees an email after the news of the decision broke on Friday. “Across the country, we have entered a moment of profound uncertainty,” Bakish said. “In the face of this uncertainty, we want to be very clear about what will not change at Paramount.” His email then highlighted company health policies, including the coverage of travel-related expenses “if the covered health service, such as abortion, is prohibited in your area.”
At Warner Bros Discovery, Adria Alpert Romm, the company’s chief people and culture officer emailed employees saying, “Given the recent Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and the likely elimination of access to abortions in some states, we are immediately expanding our healthcare benefits options to include expenses for employees and their covered family members who need to travel to access a range of medical procedures, including care for abortions, family planning and reproductive health.”
Similar policies were reportedly rolled out Friday at other major companies, including Netflix, Sony and Comcast.
Over at Disney, a new policy will reportedly cover the cost of travel for “family planning,” including “pregnancy-related decisions.”
“We recognize the impact of the ruling and that we remain committed to providing comprehensive access to quality and affordable care for all of our employees, cast members and their families, including family planning and reproductive care, no matter where they live,” Disney said in a statement to The Washington Post.
Dick’s Sporting Goods Chief Executive Lauren Hobart announced Friday that the company will reimburse up to $4,000 in travel expenses “to the nearest location where that care is legally available” for workers.
“We recognize people feel passionately about this topic — and that there are teammates and athletes who will not agree with this decision,” Hobart said in a post on LinkedIn. “However, we also recognize that decisions involving health and families are deeply personal and made with thoughtful consideration. We are making this decision so our teammates can access the same health care options, regardless of where they live, and choose what is best for them.”
Townhall has covered how several companies in recent months have announced plans to help their employees obtain an abortion in the event that the procedure is not accessible where they live. The list of companies includes Yelp, Citigroup, Microsoft, Salesforce and Starbucks, among others.
One reason why is because several states have “trigger” laws on the books that take effect after Roe is overturned. These laws restrict access to abortion in their state.
This week, Townhall covered how Democratic pro-life Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards strengthened his state’s trigger law.
“My position on abortion has been unwavering,” Edwards wrote in a tweet after signing a bill strengthening his state’s trigger law. “I am pro-life and have never hidden from that fact.”
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