Following the controversial Dobbs v. Jackson ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade, a mere 8% of large employers with approximately 200 or more workers have altered their coverage for abortion, according to a recent report by Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF).
KFF reveals that, despite heightened public interest in abortion services coverage by employer-provided plans due to the ruling and subsequent state actions related to abortion, very few employers have decided to change their existing plan’s coverage for abortion. KFF suggests the potential reasons for this are that employers might still be evaluating their options in the current legal environment, or benefits for the 2023 plan year may have been solidified by the time the Dobbs decision was made.
The study, which used information from KFF’s 2023 Employer Health Benefits Survey that interviewed business owners and HR and benefits managers from 2,133 firms, found that 10% of large corporations providing health benefits do not cover abortion at all under their largest plan. Another 18% cover it in “limited circumstances,” like in the case of rape, incest or when the life of the mother is in jeopardy. Furthermore, 32% offer coverage for abortion in most or all scenarios. However, 40% of respondents did not know if their largest plan covered abortion.
In the aftermath of the overturning of Roe v. Wade, discussions about employers offering out-of-state travel help for abortions have been ongoing. Yet, KFF’s study indicated that a tiny number of large employers, only 7%, actually offer this support or have plans to do so.
At present, 10 states prohibit state-regulated private plans from providing abortion coverage, with some exceptions. In parallel, 10 other states necessitate that state-regulated private plans cover abortion services. Employers play a significant role in access to abortion services, considering that employer-sponsored health insurance covers nearly 153 million people under the age of 65. In the United States, considering that most people have employer-sponsored health insurance, the coverage decisions employers make critically affect access to care, inclusive of abortion services, for covered workers and their dependents.
The full details of the report can be found on the original report.