The recent overturning of Roe v. Wade by the U.S. Supreme Court has wide-reaching implications for major American corporations and for the health care system in Canada.
The New York Times reports that American employers are scrambling to prepare for possible legal challenges to their health care policies, as well as responding to scrutiny of their past political donations to politicians who supported abortion bans. Some companies are exploring whether abortion-related travel costs would be reimbursed through medical plan providers, and employees can use their time off without noting the reason. In addition to travel for primarily surgical abortions, new health care policies could also cover lodging, meals and child care. Companies mentioned in the article include Disney, Macy’s, H&M, Nordstrom, Nike, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, Snap, Starbucks and Yelp. Salesforce and Google have both said they would even move employees who want to leave states where abortion is banned. In some states, companies providing such assistance will most likely face political backlash from anti-abortion groups and possibly from state governments themselves.
For these companies, besides the extra expenses, what their support for employees seeking an abortion implies is that the potential impact on a woman’s privacy is a great concern and one possibly affecting her future employment. Medical plan providers are certainly aware of privacy concerns, as they would be for any other personal health matters. In addition, while there are currently no states with bans prosecuting women who travel out of state for an abortion, some legal experts think that those laws could be possible in the future. As well, companies will have to be aware of state government attempts to use existing laws to prosecute abortion travel. Apparently, Republican legislators in Texas have already said they plan to introduce legislation penalizing companies that pay for out-of-state abortion travel.
In Canada, although we have legalized abortion under the federal Health Act, access to abortions services is limited in certain provincial and territorial jurisdictions which are responsible for the actual provision of health services. For Canadians, the costs of an abortion are covered under Canada’s universal health insurance. It is anticipated that many American women will be forced to travel across state lines to access abortion — barring those who can’t leave family, jobs or can’t afford to. Some will even travel across international borders to Canada or Mexico in order to have the medical procedure done. It is uncertain whether the health insurance providers of American companies will pay for surgical abortions performed in other countries such as Canada. According to Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights, the three provinces that may be most affected are Québec, Ontario and British Columbia. Other provinces and the territories are less able to accept Americans for abortion-related services. Any foreign increase in demand for such services will no doubt put a major strain on existing services.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), abortions using medications made up about 42% of procedures in 2019, while surgical abortions accounted for 49%. In addition, American women with family incomes less than 100% of the federal poverty level accounted for almost half of all abortion patients in 2014. It is therefore very unlikely that these women, especially poorer Black and Hispanic women, would hold good paying jobs in any of the American companies noted above. The additional problem for American women is that abortion medications are much harder for women to access, and unaffordable unless covered by health insurance providers. It has been reported by one of Canada’s primary abortion pill manufacturers that it is increasing supplies of Mifegymiso amid growing demand in this country and questions over what the impact of overturning Roe v. Wade will be.
In general, it is suggested that Canada should prepare for what is referred to as an increase in ‘abortion tourism’ out of the U.S. There is little doubt that there will greater costs to American companies and Canadian abortion services, not to forget the tremendous physical and mental health costs to affected American women.
FROLITICKS 