ROE • Corporate America aids employees who need abortion travel expenses
able 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.
A torrent of similar announcements rolled in Friday from companies such as Netflix, Paramount and Sony, underscoring corporate America’s unusual role in safeguarding reproductive rights following the high court’s ruling on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.
Dick’s Sporting Goods will reimburse as much as $4,000 in abortion travel expenses “to the nearest location where that care is legally available” for employees, their spouses and dependents in states where access is restricted, chief executive Lauren Hobart announced on LinkedIn Friday.
“We recognize people feel passionately about this topic — and that there are teammates and athletes who will not agree with this decision,” Hobart said. “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.”
Ride-hailing service Lyft said Friday that its 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.
“Transportation should never be a barrier to access and we will continue to stand up for the privacy and choice of our drivers, riders and team members across the country,” Kristin Sverchek, Lyft’s president of business affairs, said in a blog post.
Effective in July, JPMorgan Chase is expanding travel benefits for any covered service that can only be obtained more than 50 miles from an employee’s home, the company told The Post. The policy will apply to U.S. employees who are enrolled in its medical plan, as well as covered partners and dependents.
“As always, we’re focused on the health and well-being of our employees, and want to ensure equitable access to all benefits,” said Patricia Wexler, head of corporate communications at the investment bank.
While several entertainment companies are headquartered in Southern California, many have offices and production facilities across the country. States like Georgia have become huge hubs for film and TV production but have also presented challenges to employers when the state has considered restricting abortion.
Netflix, which is headquartered in Los Gatos, Calif., is also giving a travel reimbursement coverage for full-time U.S. employees and their dependents who need to travel for care including abortion. It’s a $10,000 lifetime allowance per employee or their dependents per service, according to a Netflix spokesperson.
Los Angeles-based Paramount Pictures, a division of ViacomCBS, also wrote to employees Friday to alert them to the support the company can offer.
“Across the country, we have entered a moment of profound uncertainty — from a legal and a policy perspective, as states pursue different paths regarding reproductive rights, but also on a personal level, as we try to understand what services will be accessible, when, where, and to whom,” Paramount Pictures told staffers Friday.
“Paramount will support — as we always have — the choices our employees make about their own health care. This includes the reproductive health and family-building benefits.”
Its company-sponsored health insurance includes coverage for birth control, elective abortion care, miscarriage care and travel expenses for services, such as abortion, that are prohibited in that employee’s area, the company said.
Sony Pictures, based in Culver City, said it believes employees and their dependents should have equal access to healthcare and medical services, including reproductive healthcare, regardless of their location.
“For Sony Pictures Entertainment employees in the United States, our medical plans through Aetna provide comprehensive care, including reimbursement for travel if it is required to access healthcare services available under our plans.”