There is no clear blueprint for corporate involvement in abortion. After announcing that many companies will bear the travel expenses of their employees to have an abortion, executives act swiftly to organize the mechanics of these policies and explain them to workers who are concerned about confidentiality and safety. I had to do it.
Few companies have directly commented on the Supreme Court’s decision at the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. This ruling terminated nearly 50 years of federal abortion rights. Much more people have responded by expanding health care policies to cover travel and other costs for employees who are unable to have an abortion near their home.about half The country has medical insurance from employers, and the wave of new employer commitments has raised concerns from some workers about privacy.
“If an individual has to bring their health care options to their employer, that’s the worst scenario,” said Dina Fiero, global vice president of cosmetics company NARS, many workers recently said on social media. I am repeating my concerns.
Employers are struggling not only to scrutinize past political contributions to politicians who upheld the ban on health care, but also to prepare for potential legal issues with health policy. For example, Match Group, which former CEO Shar Duvey announced in September in partnership with Planned Parenthood Los Angeles to support access to abortion, donated more than $ 100,000 to the Republican Bar Association last year. Popular information.. Match Group declined to comment.
Among the companies that have said they will help employees who have to travel for abortion are Disney, Macy’s, H & M, Nordstrom, Nike, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Goldman Sachs, Bank of America and Snap. Earlier I promised to do so. Both Salesforce and Google have said they will move employees who want to leave the state where abortion is prohibited.
These employers cover just a small percentage of the millions of people living in states where abortion is banned or will soon be banned. And other major employers have not made public statements regarding employee support. Wal-Mart, the country’s largest private employer, declined to comment on the Supreme Court’s ruling. Other large employers such as Target, Coca-Cola and Delta Air Lines did not respond to requests for comment.
Some marketing experts point out that participating companies are likely to face a backlash. “Consumers and employees don’t want businesses to’stand up’—unless the company picks them up. their Kimberly Whitler, who teaches marketing at the University of Virginia Darden Business School, said in an email.
To alleviate concerns about potential confidentiality issues, many employers deploying new abortion-related benefits allow workers and other health care planners to travel without disclosing anything to their bosses. We aim to be able to receive a refund. In some cases, it means having your insurance company file your claim, just as you would for any other medical procedure. For example, Yelp explained to employees in April that travel allowances are managed through insurance companies.
“No one at Yelp receives information about who made the claim or received a refund,” a Yelp spokeswoman said.
Aetna, one of the largest insurance companies, said, “We ensure that our data practices comply with all applicable laws that protect the privacy of our members.” UnitedHealth declined to comment specifically on privacy issues. Anthem, Cigna and Humana did not respond to requests for comment.
According to Expedia, travel expenses will be reimbursed through the provider of the medical plan and employees will be able to use the vacation without realizing why. BuzzFeed said it will provide benefits approved by the head of the human resources department, a trained person to handle confidential issues, in lieu of reimbursement of abortion-related costs.
PayPal said it has an employee advocacy team that provides employees with sensitive information about sensitive issues such as the use of medical benefits. Starbucks workers have a third-party point person called an advocate. Advocates allow employees to anonymously approach questions about medical benefits without having to disclose details of their medical needs to managers.
“It’s planning a knee surgery and wants to make the right decision about the plan,” so get advice on the benefits of fertility and what they should do if they intend to use everything in between. It doesn’t matter, “Reggie said, Borges, a spokesman for the company.
Some employers provide details of the new medical policy in their staff notes. For example, Impossible Foods said it covers accommodation, dining and childcare in addition to traveling for abortion. As of July 1, Wells Fargo said his medical plan included travel and accommodation refunds for “legal abortion-related services.” (Patagonia also said it would cover the bail of employees arrested while peacefully protesting the Supreme Court’s decision.)
Many other companies were still solving their plans. For example, employee research firm Culture Amp has announced refunds of up to $ 2,000 for abortion-related trips and said it is looking for ways to “minimize disclosure of information in the refund process.”
The company said on Monday that it still has final confirmation that flight or gas costs may be sent for approval to the personnel team rather than the manager.
Aubrey Blanche, senior director of the company, said:
Currently, there are no banned states trying to prosecute women traveling out of state for abortion, but some legal experts may try to prosecute abortion trips using existing law. Therefore, we believe that these laws will be possible in the future. Republican lawmakers in Texas have already stated plans to introduce a law that will impose penalties on companies that pay for abortion trips outside the state.
“People who are enthusiastic about stopping abortions are trying creatively to use existing laws and pass new laws to stop as many abortions as possible, including those funded by businesses. You’ll see it, “said David Cohen, a professor of constitution. Drexel University. “Companies are preparing for the fight.”
And some executives seemed to prepare for it. On Friday, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff wrote: Tweet: “I think the CEO is responsible for taking care of employees no matter what.”
Laura Kelly Report that contributed.
