Companies paying for abortion-related travel include Dick's Sporting Goods, Google, Disney
Corporations are in the hot seat after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade on Friday.
At least 26 states are certain or likely to ban abortion as a result of the decision, according to a study by the Guttmacher Institute, a research group that supports abortion rights.
Before Friday, many corporations avoided taking a stance on abortion rights even as states such as Texas and Oklahoma passed laws that significantly restricted abortion access and a leak of the Supreme Court's draft ruling was published.
A handful of companies, including Match Inc., Bumble, Amazon, Citigroup, Salesforce, Tesla, Lyft, Yelp and JPMorgan, began to cover travel expenses employees may incur to get an abortion if they don't have access to safe procedures in their home state before the ruling was released.
More: Anti-abortion and abortion-rights protesters react to the overturn of Roe v. Wade
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"Consumers and employees don’t want companies to 'take a stand' unless companies take up their position and cause," said Kim Whitler, a business administration professor at the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business. "Consequently, picking a side on a divisive issue then becomes a math problem for firms."
But the decision is forcing some companies to break their silence on the issue. Here's what they're saying:
Alaska Airlines/Horizon Air
The airline, which employs more than 23,000 people, said in a memo to employees that it would continue "reimbursing travel for certain medical procedures and treatments if they are not available where you live. Today’s Supreme Court decision does not change that."
Condé Nast
Condé Nast CEO Roger Lynch said in a note to employees that the Supreme Court decision is "a crushing blow to reproductive rights that have been protected for nearly half a century."
He announced that employees "are now eligible for reimbursement on travel and lodging" for abortion procedures as well as infertility or gender-affirming services.
Dick's Sporting Goods
The company, which employs more than 50,000 people, announced it will "provide up to $4,000 in travel expense reimbursement to travel to the nearest location where that care is legally available," CEO Lauren Hobart wrote in a LinkedIn post. "This benefit will be provided to any teammate, spouse or dependent enrolled in our medical plan, along with one support person."
Exelon
Exelon said all of its health insurance plans fully covered abortions prior to Friday's ruling. It isn't making any changes to those plans, Donna Sitkiewicz, a company spokesperson told USA TODAY in an emailed statement.
"We will continue to study the Supreme Court decision and other questions it has raised, including reimbursement for healthcare-related travel, to determine if there is additional impact on our employees, benefits or related policies," she added.
Goldman Sachs
The bank announced it will cover abortion-related travel expenses in a memo Business Insider obtained that was sent to employees Friday. The memo did not specify if there's a cap on how much it will reimburse.
The policy change will take effect July 1.
Google said in a memo to employees Friday that was reviewed by CNBC that its health care plans will cover out-of-state abortions. "Googlers can also apply for relocation without justification, and those overseeing this process will be aware of the situation," the memo written by Google chief people officer Fiona Cicconi said.
The company did not immediately respond to USA TODAY's request for comment on whether it will cover any of the travel costs associated with getting an out-of-state abortion.
Intel
Intel said its health insurance covers abortions "where permitted" and it will "continue to provide resources for those who need to travel for safe, timely healthcare."
J.Crew Group
J.Crew's CEO Libby Wadle said in a LinkedIn post published Monday that the company, which owns Madewell, believes "in equitable access to health care for all" and stands "in support of people everywhere who have had their right to bodily autonomy severely compromised by this decision."
Wadle said the company is "prepared to use whatever lawful means possible to assist our employees who need special travel to access healthcare."
Kroger
The nation's largest supermarket chain announced it will reimburse up to $4,000 in travel expenses incurred to receive an abortion for employees who are covered by the company health plan.
Live Nation
Live Nation will cover travel expenses for employees who seek abortions outside their home state, the company announced Friday in an Instagram post. It will also "cover bail expenses" for employees who peacefully protest.
Meta
"We intend to offer travel expense reimbursements, to the extent permitted by law, for employees who will need them to access out-of-state health care and reproductive services," a Meta spokesperson told USA TODAY on Friday. "We are in the process of assessing how best to do so given the legal complexities involved."
The spokesperson did not return a request for further comment on whether that was directly communicated to employees.
More: Michelle Obama says she's 'heartbroken' over SCOTUS overturning Roe v. Wade
More: State abortion bans, the new normal? One woman’s 17-hour journey to get an abortion.
Microsoft
Microsoft, which employs more than 103,000 people in the U.S., said it will "continue to do everything we can under the law to support our employees and their enrolled dependents in accessing critical health care – which already includes services like abortion and gender-affirming care – regardless of where they live across the U.S."
"This support has been extended to include travel expense assistance for these and other lawful medical,” a Microsoft spokesperson said in an emailed statement to USA TODAY on Friday.
Nike
Nike announced Friday that it will extend its policy to cover travel costs associated with getting medical care "in situations where services are not available close to home" to include abortions.
Nordstrom
On Friday, Nordstrom announced that on July 1 it will begin covering travel expenses associated with getting an abortion for all employees who are on its health care plans.
Patagonia
In addition to covering all costs associated with getting an out-of-state abortion, Patagonia announced Friday that it will provide "training and bail for those who peacefully protest for reproductive justice."
Ralph Lauren
Ralph Lauren said in a statement to USA TODAY that they "remain committed to respecting the right to personal choice when making individual healthcare decisions."
"For us, that means we will continue to support those seeking reproductive healthcare services, including covering costs associated with travel for employees seeking care out-of-state," the company added.
Southwest Airlines
Southwest said it "will work to support our peoples’ needs while remaining compliant with state and federal laws as an employer."
Employees already could travel free on the airline, and they are not asked to provide a reason for their travels, Chris Mainz, a Southwest spokesperson told USA TODAY in an emailed statement. But the airline is "not making any immediate changes to our health benefits."
The Body Shop
The Body Shop said it will reimburse all employees who need to travel to get an abortion "so they can secure safe care where it is legally available."
Additionally, it is providing paid time off for employees who need a "wellness break" or wish to protest.
TikTok
In a tweet posted late Friday afternoon, TikTok said it is "finalizing updates to our benefits to continue to provide our employees access to the medical benefits they need."
— TikTokComms (@TikTokComms) June 24, 2022
Walt Disney
"We remain committed to providing comprehensive access to quality and affordable care for all of our employees, cast members and their families, including family planning and reproductive care, no matter where they live," a Disney spokesperson told USA TODAY on Friday.
An internal memo sent to employees obtained by CNBC added said that "we have processes in place so that an employee who may be unable to access care in one location has affordable coverage for receiving similar levels of care in another location."
United Airlines
United told employees in a memo Friday that its "medical plans have long provided access to reproductive health care."
United employees are also able to travel on the airline free.
More: Protests erupt outside Supreme Court after decision on abortion rights
More: One Texas doctor refuses to give up her fight to help women access safe, legal abortions
Zillow
Zillow said Friday that it updated its health plan "to reimburse up to $7,500 each time significant travel is necessary to access health care" on June 1. "Moving forward, we will continue to ensure our coverage includes safe access to reproductive health care," Zillow said in a statement to USA TODAY.
Companies that haven't announced new abortion-related policies
American Airlines, Charles Schwab, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue Airways, McDonald's, Oracle, Spirit Airlines, Target, Urban Outfitters and Walmart did not respond to USA TODAY's requests for comment on whether they plan to cover abortion-related travel expenses.
They are part of the overwhelming majority of companies that haven't taken a public stance on abortion.
Elisabeth Buchwald is a personal finance and markets correspondent for USA TODAY. You can follow her on Twitter @BuchElisabeth and sign up for our Daily Money newsletter here
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: More companies are covering abortion travel after SCOTUS decision
