Melinda French Gates’ next game – see where she’ll donate $215 million
Melinda French Gates has donated $215 million to improve women’s health, including the first grants to benefit menopausal and midlife women.
Some women have struggled with menopausal symptoms such as joint pain and brain fog for years, meeting with various doctors before contacting Elizabeth Lapere’s New Orleans clinic.
She often prescribed hormone replacement therapy, which was not covered by all insurance.
“We’re leaving so many women behind,” says Lapeyre, a gynecologist who specializes in menopause. Monthly drug costs can cost up to $500. ”It’s frustrating when your plan doesn’t cover you. “We want to make treatment available to all women,” she added.
Now, state legislators are stepping in to help.
After a conversation with LaPere, Louisiana State Representative Amy Adatto Freeman, a Democrat, introduced a bill that would require Medicaid and private insurance to cover perimenopause and menopause treatment in 2024. The bill was passed later that year, making Louisiana one of the first states to legislate for menopausal care.
Over the past two years, more than half of U.S. states have introduced or passed menopause-related bills or laws. Last summer in 2025, Rhode Island became the first state to require businesses to provide accommodations for menopausal women. And Maryland will soon require private insurance companies to cover menopause care and encourage health care providers to educate them about menopause.
Lawmakers have seen an uptick in interest in menopause care, now a $20 billion industry that includes everything from Halle Berry-promoted herbal supplements to personal speculum. We also understand how menopause affects women in the workplace. A Mayo Clinic study found that menopause costs women $1.8 billion in lost work time each year.
“So many health care providers are not trained in menopause and how to manage it, and most medical schools don’t even have a menopause curriculum,” said Maryland Congresswoman Joseline Peña Melnyk. She was inspired to write the state bill earlier this year after a friend of hers visited five doctors, underwent 13 blood tests and was prescribed anti-anxiety medication, before doctors finally diagnosed her with menopause.
“No woman should have to suffer like that. Quite frankly, menopause is a natural and inevitable part of aging,” the Democrat says. “But because this is a women’s issue, it remains unresearched, undiscussed and stigmatized.”
“There’s no need to fight with the insurance company.”
With one in 10 women leaving the workforce due to menopause, and a further one in five considering early retirement, the number of female leaders, who hold less than a third of senior positions, could decline.
There is no federal policy that protects women during menopause or perimenopause, the period leading up to menopause when a woman stops menstruating. Perimenopause can last up to 10 years, with hormonal fluctuations and symptoms ranging from frozen shoulders to hot flashes.
Sara Chavarria, CEO and president of Delta Dental Insurance Company, says companies need to keep women in the workforce to stay competitive.
“We spend a significant portion of our working lives navigating through menopause,” she says. “Menopause affects your oral and general health, but managing these symptoms shouldn’t affect your success at work or employment status,” she says.
For Ohio Rep. Ashley Bryant Bailey, introducing a bill to improve menopause coverage in March 2026 felt like common sense as lawmakers debate how to attract a talented workforce.
“How do we keep our workforce? Women are the backbone of this country, and if women are taking early retirement or taking less stressful jobs to pay for these conditions because they’re not covered as much as other conditions, we need to fix that,” Democrats say.
A 2025 study from GoodRx found that one in five women has delayed or forgone menopausal treatment due to financial concerns, and only 26% of women have insurance coverage for hormone replacement therapy.
“Menopause is inevitable,” says Bryant-Bailey. “But you don’t have to fight with the insurance company.”
The need for “action”
Philanthropist Melinda French Gates believes too many women quit their jobs at the peak of their careers.
“When that woman is stepping into a CFO role or a CEO or president role, she has all this training and knowledge and experience,” French Gates told USA TODAY in May. “We want people to be included in the workforce, not taken away from it. To do well at work and at home, we need to be healthy.”
She called on state lawmakers to address menopause.
“Action is also needed from policymakers, especially at the state level. Advocates should call on lawmakers to create new education requirements, expand insurance and Medicaid coverage of menopause treatment, and ensure that menopausal women have the same workplace protections they have during pregnancy, such as the right to take time off for care, so they can continue working without sacrificing their health,” she wrote in a New York Times editorial.
Even states that rank near the bottom on most women’s health measures are passing legislation.
“I live in a state where an 11-year-old who has been raped has to give birth to a child,” Freeman said. “But we came together to pass this menopause bill. People are starting to understand how important this menopause coverage is.”
“I see women on the right and progressive women alike agreeing on this. They know it’s inevitable, that menopause is coming,” says Jennifer Weiswolf, executive director of the Birnbaum Center for Women’s Leadership at New York University School of Law and author of the forthcoming “When in Menopause: A User’s Manual and Citizen’s Guide.”
Laws are divided into several categories, including insurance coverage, education, and workplace accommodations.
Weiswolf was inspired by the pace at which states are passing menopause-related legislation and the potential for federal legislation to be spurred.
As if on cue, Democratic U.S. Rep. Valerie Foushee of North Carolina introduced the June 2026 Menopause Education for Medical Students Act earlier this month. This bill would add menopause education in medical schools to prepare all physicians to care for women.
Laura Trujillo is a national columnist focused on health and wellness. She is the author of “Stepping Back from the Ledge: A Daughter’s Search for Truth and Renewal.” He can be reached at ltrujillo@usatoday.com..
