Companies Scramble to Work Out Policies Related to Employee Abortions - The New York Times

After numerous companies came forward to announce that they would cover travel expenses for their employees to get abortions, executives have had to move swiftly to both sort out the mechanics of those policies and explain them to a work force concerned about confidentiality and safety.

Far more have responded by expanding their health care policies to cover travel and other expenses for employees who can’t get abortions close to home, now that the procedure is banned in at least eight states with other bans set to soon take effect.

“It’s a doomsday scenario if individuals have to bring their health care choices to their employers,” said Dina Fierro, a global vice president at the cosmetics company Nars, echoing a concern that many workers have expressed on social media in recent days.

Employers are scrambling to prepare for possible legal challenges to their health care policies, as well as responding to scrutiny of their past political donations to politicians who supported abortion bans.

Among the companies that said they would assist employees who have to travel for abortions are Disney, Macy’s, H&M, Nordstrom, Nike, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Goldman Sachs, Bank of America and Snap, which join a larger group including Starbucks and Yelp that had previously committed to doing so.

These employers cover health care for only a fraction of the millions of people living in states where abortion is or will soon be banned.

In an attempt to ease fears over potential confidentiality issues, many employers rolling out new benefits related to abortion are aiming to allow workers, and others on their health care plans, to get travel reimbursement without disclosing anything to their managers.

Impossible Foods, for example, said that in addition to travel for abortions it would also cover lodging, meals and child care.

Wells Fargo said that as of July 1 its health care plans would include reimbursement for travel and lodging for “legal abortion-related services.” (Patagonia said it would also cover bail for employees who are arrested while peacefully protesting the Supreme Court’s decision.).