Corporate America rethinks healthcare in wake of Roe v. Wade overrule

The Future. American businesses are wrestling with how to handle the sudden overturning of abortion protections in several states across the country. Many are meeting the moment by covering travel expenses for procedures, shoring up privacy protections, and using C-suite communications to speak out. In the long term, these expansions of employee benefits may be key to retaining talent… especially in states where abortion is illegal.

State to state
According to CNBC, the sudden overturning of federally-protected abortion rights has companies scrambling on how to address employee concerns.

• Apple, Disney, and CVS reminded their employees that it covers travel expenses to states that allow abortions if they live in a state where it is restricted.
• JPMorgan Chase, Under Armour, and Dick’s Sporting Goods updated their policies to cover those travel costs as well.

Corporate America will also have to contend with a number of other issues, such as how it will cover abortion medication by mail and issues of employee privacy, and whether they will offer the travel perks on a long-term basis — a move that would most likely cause employee uproar if reversed.

Talk tax

The mobilization over the Supreme Court ruling is another example of how companies might be expected to address hot-button political issues. While employees appreciate the activism — a driving factor in company loyalty, especially among Gen Z and Millennials — it sometimes comes with blowback. Disney CEO Bob Chapek faced backlash (first from employees, then from Florida’s governor) over its handling of the state’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill. It was a move that cost the Mouse House its special district status.

In our current cultural atmosphere, there are increasingly more business decisions that are also seen as political ones.