Big names in insurance have told Insurance Business that they will be adapting their medical plan coverage to offer financial support to staff who need to travel out-of-state for pregnancy terminations.
The moves follow the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade, which protected abortion as a constitutional right.
Abortion bans went into effect in more than half-a-dozen states after the ban was enacted, and more are expected to follow suit in the coming weeks, NBC has reported.
Businesses including Disney, JP Morgan Chase, Dick’s Sporting Goods, and Conde Nast have reportedly pledged to cover travel costs for employees who choose to travel out of state for an abortion.
Four insurance businesses have told Insurance Business that they too will reimburse staff who need to travel for reproductive treatment, or that they are monitoring the situation.
A spokesperson for broking giant Marsh McLennan confirmed that it had updated its travel and lodging benefits earlier this year to “make all types of medical care more accessible.”
“These travel benefits apply to all procedures, including those related to reproductive care, that are covered under our national, self-insured medical plans,” the spokesperson said.
Carriers Liberty Mutual and The Hartford also confirmed that they intend to expand their healthcare offering to include travel costs for staff who need to head out of state to seek reproductive care.
“We are amending our medical plan to expand existing travel reimbursement coverage so that employees and their covered dependents may access a number of medical services in other locations as needed, including reproductive care services in other states,” said a spokesperson for The Hartford.
The change will be “effective as soon as administratively possible”, the spokesperson confirmed.
Liberty Mutual will be “adding any plan-covered health benefits that are restricted or prohibited in certain states to the list of benefits eligible for travel and lodging reimbursement”, a spokesperson for the carrier said.
The Liberty Mutual change is expected to be effective from January 2023.
A spokesperson for Nationwide confirmed that the business’s health plan covers expenses related to women’s reproductive healthcare, including termination of pregnancy.
Nationwide does not cover travel expenses for reproductive care medical treatment, the spokesperson said, though staff can use “accumulated FSA/HSA funds” for medical treatment travel needs.
“As a company that values people, Nationwide recognizes that medical decisions and family planning are deeply personal. We are monitoring this new development and, over the coming weeks, will determine any implications to our policies and benefits,” the Nationwide spokesperson said.
