How firms support workers on reproductive health care
According to the Guttmacher Institute, which researches sexual and reproductive health and rights globally, 26 states are “certain or likely” to ban abortion if Roe v. Wade is overturned, which will force many people across the country to travel for treatment.
That may put further pressure on companies to find ways for their employees to receive the reproductive care services they’ve been entitled to for half a century.
Here’s how some of the nation’s companies are helping workers:
Citigroup
The bank, which is headed by its first female chief executive officer, Jane Fraser, and has some 8,500 employees in Texas alone, pledged to cover travel costs for employees seeking abortions. A source said the costs covered could include airfares and lodging if necessary.
Match
The Dallas-based parent company of dating apps including Tinder and OkCupid, set up a fund to support staff after Texas’s near-total abortion ban came into effect in late 2021. The fund aims to cover the costs for employees and dependents who need to seek care outside of Texas. Rival dating app Bumble has set up a similar fund.
Yelp
With over 4,000 workers in the U.S., Yelp will next month roll out a travel benefit which “allows our U.S. employees and their dependents to have equitable access to reproductive care, regardless of where they live.”
Lyft and Uber
Describing the Texas abortion law as an “attack on women’s access to health care,” Lyft Inc. CEO Logan Green said that the ride-hailing company is working with health providers to cover the cost of rides for women in
Texas and Oklahoma — which outlawed abortion last month — who seek out-of-state care. Lyft and Uber have also pledged to pay legal fees for any of their drivers sued under anti-abortion laws for helping women seek out the procedure.
Levi’s
The jeans-maker said any employee who opts into their health-care plans will be eligible for reimbursement of travel costs for abortions, including part-time workers.
Apple
The company has said it will cover the cost of abortions and travel for treatment for its retail workers.
Amazon
Amazon told employees in the U.S. that it would cover up to $4,000 in travel expenses related to medical procedures including abortion services. The policy is retroactive to Jan. 1 for employees and their dependents.