'We're deeply concerned': Large Arizona employers offer to pay for employees' travel to get abortions
Since the draft opinion of the decision was leaked in May, companies across the country have announced plans to reimburse employees for travel related to seeking an abortion if they live in a state where the procedure is illegal.
Tempe-based GoDaddy announced it would pay for abortion-related travel expenses.
“We’re deeply concerned by the recent changes that limit reproductive rights,” GoDaddy officials said in a statement. “Limiting these rights impacts the ability for people to pursue success on their own terms, which is core to our mission to empower entrepreneurs everywhere, making opportunity more inclusive. That is why a few weeks ago we announced internally that we would be extending our U.S. health benefits to cover travel and travel-related costs for abortion-related and other healthcare needs for employees and their covered spouses and dependents on our health plan.”
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Effective July 1, JPMorgan Chase & Co., which employs about 9,500 people in Arizona, will expand its covered travel benefits to all covered services that cannot be obtained within 50 miles of where the employee lives.
“Our health care plans have historically covered travel benefits for certain covered services that would require travel,” according to a company memo released by JPMorgan Chase. “Beginning in July, we will expand this benefit to include all covered services that can only be obtained far from home, which would include legal abortion.”
The company had previously only covered certain procedures, like organ transplant or bariatric surgery.
“As always, we’re focused on the health and well-being of our employees and want to ensure equitable access to all benefits,” a JPMorgan Chase spokesperson said in an email.
A spokeswoman for DoorDash, which employs about 1,000 people in Arizona said the company will cover certain travel-related expenses for employees and their dependents enrolled in the company’s health care plan seeking abortions in states where they do not have access.
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“It’s paramount that all DoorDash employees and their dependents covered on our health plans have equitable, timely access to safe healthcare. This is one of our guiding principles as an employer. Because safe abortion procedures are likely to become severely limited in more states, DoorDash will cover certain travel-related expenses for employees who face new barriers to access and need to travel out of state for abortion-related care."
Many national employers offer reimbursement
Dick’s Sporting Goods also announced it would reimburse employees up to $4,000 in travel expenses to travel to the nearest location abortion is legally available. The benefit would cover employees, spouses or dependents enrolled in the company’s medical plan, along with one support person, the company’s leadership announced on social media.
In May, Amazon announced it would also reimburse up to $4,000 in travel expenses for non-life threatening medical care, including abortion, if the procedure could not be done within 100 miles of the employee’s home.
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Starbucks also announced it would reimburse employees and dependents enrolled in a Starbucks health care plan for travel expenses related to abortion if a provider is not available within 100 miles.
Other companies that have announced they will provide reimbursement for employees’ travel for abortions include Yelp, Disney, Tesla, Salesforce, Bumble, Citigroup and Match Inc., according to USA Today.
Reach the reporter at cvanek@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on Twitter @CorinaVanek.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona employers, including GoDaddy. offer to pay for abortion travel
