Starbucks offers travel cost reimbursement to those seeking abortion or gender-affirming procedures
Starbucks Corp.
SBUX,
announced Monday that it has added a worker healthcare benefit, offering travel cost reimbursement to those who are enrolled in its program and seeking an abortion or gender-affirming procedures. The announcement comes after a leaked draft of a Supreme Court decision threatens to overturn Roe vs. Wade. The benefit will apply to anyone who cannot access these services within 100 miles of where they live. The benefit also applies to workers’ dependents. “[R]egardless of what the Supreme Court ends up deciding, we will always ensure our partners have access to quality healthcare,” wrote Sara Kelly, acting executive vice president of partner resources, in a letter posted to the Starbucks site. “Whatever healthcare choice you believe is right for you and your family, you deserve access to those services and the benefits that Starbucks provides.” Other companies including Levi Strauss
LEVI,
and Amazon
AMZN,
have also added a travel reimbursement benefit. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) retaliated against businesses making this pledge by proposing legislation that will stop companies from getting tax breaks from covering these costs. Starbucks shares have slumped 37% for the year to date.
