Half of U.S. employers plan abortion travel benefits

More than a third (35%) of U.S. employers already offer travel and lodging benefits for elective and medically necessary abortions and another 16% are considering offering it next year, according to a survey from human resources consultancy Willis Towers Watson.

Why it matters: It’s a glimpse into how the private sector is thinking about health benefits in the post-Roe landscape.

• “Employers are concerned about what the changing regulations mean for their talent acquisition and their workforce overall,” Jeff Levin-Scherz, a managing director for WTW, told Axios.

The intrigue: The vast majority of employers polled said they already offer coverage for medically necessary, as well as elective, abortions in states where it’s allowed.

• Fully 97% of self-insured plans and 98% of traditional fully-insured plans already cover medically necessary abortions where allowed. And 78% of self-insured employers and 91% of fully-insured plans cover elective abortions where permitted.
• The levels were “not what I expected,” Levin-Scherz said.