According to Reuters,Amazon will pay up to $4,000 to employees who need to travel more than 100 miles to seek non-life-threatening treatment, including abortion.The company joins Uber and Lyft, who have also come out against anti-abortion laws in Oklahoma and Texas, saying they will pay any fines for violating the new laws.
According to Amazon, the new benefits are retroactive, so people who have had to travel since Jan. 1 can apply for partial funding.
To receive any payment, the person must be a U.S. employee or an insured dependent on a Premera or Aetna health plan — it doesn’t matter whether they work in a corporate office or a warehouse. Amazon employees will only be funded if their treatment is more than 100 miles away or without virtual care.
Amazon says the program doesn’t just cover abortion. Employees can also apply for funding if they don’t have access to treatments close to home, such as cardiology, cellular gene therapy and substance use disorder services. Amazon has provided funding of up to $10,000 for people whose lives are at risk. The $4,000 benefit will be replenished on an annual basis.