As Roe v. Wade’s future hangs in the balance, several major US companies, including Apple, Citigroup and Yelp, have taken public positions in support of abortion care and promised to cover staff travel costs for access to the procedure.
The Supreme Court is expected to rule on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, a Mississippi lawsuit that directly challenges Rowe’s right to abortion nearly 50 years ago sometime this month.
Following the expiration of a draft decision in the case in early May, which showed the court was ready to overturn Rowe v. Wade, more employers introduced new health benefits or expanded existing policies to support employees in obtaining abortions, however. which the court decided.
However, the logistics of such proposals remain unclear, including how companies will protect employee privacy and whether state legislatures can come after corporate insurance policies as part of the abortion ban.
How will abortion benefits work?
In April, Yelp announced it would cover the cost of employees and their spouses who have to travel outside the state to access abortion care in response to Texas law, which bans the procedure after about six weeks of pregnancy.
Following the announcement, executives received a “spill” of messages from leaders of other companies asking them “how to do the same,” Miriam Warren, Yelp’s chief diversity officer, told CNBC Make It.
“They want to know how the benefit works, what the feedback from employees has been, all the way down to the brass rings,” she said. “Many companies, like ours, think about abortion care and really think about it – not only how to protect the right of health care workers, but also what it means as a brand to uphold that right.
Johnny C. Taylor Jr., president and CEO of the Society for Human Resource Management, also made calls from business leaders interested in offering abortion care benefits.
“One of the safest and least controversial moves a company can take without isolating employees or clients who do not support abortion is to change their benefits policy, whether it’s offering a travel scholarship. or obtaining an abortion to be categorized as an elective procedure, ”he explains. which will be covered by an employer-sponsored health plan.
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Both Warren and Taylor predict that companies that introduce abortion benefits will follow Apple, Citigroup, Tesla and other well-known companies, focusing on reimbursing travel expenses for employees who have to leave their state to gain access to the procedure.
Companies are also getting creative in the way they offer this advantage, Taylor notes, to avoid potential legal and administrative hurdles, whether offering employees a one-time bonus or setting up help funds based on donations to employees and their spouses. may have access if they have to travel for an abortion.
In any case, companies need to consider how to protect the privacy of employees who are really looking for abortion, Warren said. Under Yelp’s policy, for example, employees submit travel receipts directly to their health insurance provider for reimbursement so that no one else in the company knows.
Ultimately, Taylor added, “most CEOs want to remove barriers to people who choose to have an abortion to gain access to the procedure without taking a position on whether the abortion is good or bad.”
Will more companies take a public stand on abortion?
The most difficult issue facing companies since the draft opinion became public – and during the heated debate over access to abortion that followed – is whether to make a public statement in support of or against the court’s decision if Rowe v. Wade be canceled.
“I am convinced that organizations will do everything possible to avoid any public statements, because this is such a divisive issue,” Taylor said. “You can see that some of the bigger companies are in position, but we forget that most of the companies in America are small and medium-sized… and we don’t see any sign that these CEOs are willing to do that and risk losing talent or customers. “
Instead, Taylor predicts that companies will quietly change their compensation policies or send an internal note to employees after the court ruling is announced.
However, Warren expects more employees to call on their companies to take a firm stand on abortion in the coming months. A new Gallup poll found that 55% of Americans consider themselves “choices”.
“People may feel that they don’t need to talk about abortion care right now because we’re in a bit of a hold until the decision is announced,” Warren added. “But I can’t imagine that they will feel the same ability to remain silent if Rowe v. Wade is overturned.”
Explore:
How Planned Parenthood CEO prepares for a future without Rowe v. Wade: “We’ve been planning this moment for years.”
Corporate boards continue to make slow progress towards gender equality, a new report shows
Janet Yellen: Rowe’s repeal against Wade would be “very harmful” to the economy, women
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