EP #417: Dobbs: What We Know So Far — with Jessica Waltman

The topic of this week's episode is employee benefit plans relative to abortion services in light of the US Supreme Court's recent decision in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization case.In this episode, Jessica Waltman, Vice President of Compliance at MZQ Consulting, LLC, a concierge compliance firm, discusses the crucial employer considerations for providing abortion benefits to employees. She also stresses the importance of understanding state laws.What You’ll Learn From This Episode:1:21. Jessica’s role and the services offered by MZQ Consulting.4:06 Access to abortion services in relation to employee benefit plans.14:57 Important factors to take into account when determining whether to cover abortion benefits.17:15 The significance of knowing which states protect abortion and which don’t.Quotes:16:15 “So I would look at who you have, where you are, what the likelihood you have of employees that need to benefit.”17:01 “Everybody needs to make their own choice. I would say it’s a lot trickier than you think. I would not just go out whole-hog and issue a personal statement, or promise things to employees until you evaluate the situation thoroughly.”19:03 “Unfortunately, the provider also has to weigh their risk, and some medical systems are delaying care or choosing different options of care to protect themselves, and it could put the employee benefit plan with exposure issues. This is where I think a lot of litigation is going to come into play because there are laws that conflict with one another.”