Poll finds employers considering travel and lodging benefits for abortion services 

July 06, 2022

From three successive Mercer surveys asking about travel and lodging benefits for employees in states restricting access to abortion-related services, it’s clear that many employers are still considering whether or not they will make any changes in response to the Dobbs decision. In the latest of these – a poll taken during a Mercer webinar on June 30 – 5% of the 1,203 employers responding said that they currently reimburse travel and lodging expenses for employees traveling a certain distance to seek abortion-related services, and 23% said they are planning to implement such a policy. Nearly half – 48% – said that they are considering their options, while 19% are not currently considering making any changes.  

Compared to our earlier surveys, taken before and immediately after the Dobbs decision, respondents to the June 30 poll were more likely to say they were planning or considering offering this benefit. However, differences in the mix of employers responding to the poll, particularly differences in size, can also affect the results. In an earlier survey, we found that the largest employers were the most likely to say they were considering a reimbursement benefit. The June 30 poll did not collect employer size data.

For a discussion of travel and lodging benefit considerations, please see our earlier post. Before making any abortion-related changes to your benefit plans, consult with your legal counsel to consider the impact of state abortion laws and regulations.