Online retailer will pay up to $4,000 in travel expenses.
QUICK FACTS:
- Amazon.com Inc told staff on Monday it will pay up to $4,000 in travel expenses annually for non-life threatening medical treatments including abortions, Reuters reports.
- The second-largest U.S. private employer’s new rule goes into effect to Jan 1.
- The benefit will apply if the abortion cannot be accommodated within 100 miles of an employee’s home and virtual care is not possible.
- Only U.S. employees or covered dependents enrolled in Premera or Aetna health plans can take advantage of the new rule.
AMAZON’S NEW REIMBURSEMENT APPLIES TO MORE THAN JUST ABORTIONS:
- Amazon’s announced reimbursement doesn’t only apply to abortion, but also to other non-life threatening treatments.
- Reimbursements can apply to treatments involving cardiological issues, cellular gene therapies, and even substance-abuse disorder services.
- Amazon offers up to $10,000 in annual travel reimbursements for life-threatening issues.
BACKGROUND:
- Citigroup, Yelp, and others have responded similarly to Republican-backed state laws curbing abortion access.
- The U.S. Supreme Court is set to rule by summer in a case that gives its conservative majority a chance to curb abortion access or even overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized the procedure nationwide.
