Joe Parisi and Analiese Eicher.
Dane County Executive Joe Parisi, left, and Dane County Supv. Analiese Eicher, say abortion services are part of 'healthcare.'
Dane County employees and their dependents who must go out of state for an abortion can now be reimbursed by the county for their travel expenses.
In a July 19 email sent to county employees, Greg Brockmeyer, director of the Dane County Department of Administration, said that County Executive Joe Parisi and the Dane County Board worked during the 2023 budget deliberations to create this new benefit. To be eligible, an employee must be currently on the Dane County health insurance plan.
"Abortion care is healthcare,” Analiese Eicher, a Dane County board supervisor, tells Isthmus. “Being able to provide relief to the financial barrier of accessing abortion care for our employees who need it is incredibly important. I'm proud Dane County prioritized this in the budget and is making it a reality."
Supv. Mike Bare says in an email that he worked closely with AFSCME union members before authoring the budget amendment that created the benefit. He says that he and county board staff were unable to find any other government entity in the country that offered such a benefit.
"I'm pleased that the administration has worked to make this policy a reality," says Bare. "Access to abortion gets my full and unconditional support. And as an employer, the county must keep up with many private sector employers in Wisconsin that are offering this benefit."
Employees with single health insurance coverage are eligible for annual reimbursements up to $1,000; employees on a family plan are eligible for $2,000 annually. The reimbursement can be used to pay for mileage and lodging. Meals are not covered.
Employees can submit qualifying expenses going back to Jan. 1, 2023, to the Employee Benefits Corporation, which administers the county’s benefits.
“To preserve employee confidentiality, EBC, not Dane County, reviews and approves all documentation related to the reimbursement,” Brockmeyer said in his email.
Women have effectively not been able to obtain abortion services in Wisconsin since the U.S. Supreme Court in 2022 overturned Roe v. Wade, which had guaranteed a federal right to abortion. Since then people seeking abortion in the state have had to go to Illinois, Minnesota or other states where abortion remains accessible. A lawsuit challenging an 1849 Wisconsin abortion statute — that has been widely interpreted as an abortion ban — is working its way through the court.
“The Supreme Court of the United States created a reproductive health care crisis in Wisconsin and across the country, following their decision to overturn Roe v. Wade last year," Parisi said in an emailed statement. "This ruling and the Wisconsin State Legislature’s inaction have already inflicted far-reaching impacts on the physical, mental, and economic well-being of American families."
“Abortions are a part of essential health care," he added. "Our reimbursement policy is the latest step Dane County government has taken to ensure that sexual and reproductive health care remains accessible to our employees and their families. We are committed to being a progressive beacon for the rest of the state.”
[Editor's note: This article was updated to include comments from Dane County Supv. Mike Bare and Dane County Executive Joe Parisi. The cutline for the photo was also changed because it incorrectly suggested that Supv. Eicher helped develop the benefit.]
