Maryland Just Gave Menopause Care a Big Boost

Something worth celebrating: Maryland has a new law that puts menopause and perimenopause care front and center. It requires health care providers to receive additional training on menopause and perimenopause, while expanding insurance coverage for related care.

What’s in it

•    More trained providers. Health officials expect the training incentives to draw more clinicians into learning how to recognize and manage menopause symptoms.

•    Coverage for evaluations and care. The law requires insurers to cover evaluations and care, something many were already doing.

•    A focus on underserved communities, so the benefits reach beyond the women who already know how to advocate for themselves.

Why it happened: women spoke up

Women across Maryland shared their stories with the Maryland Commission for Women, from life-altering symptoms to learning about hormone therapy from a social media influencer. Others described the cost side: one woman testified that her prescription would run upwards of $450 without coverage. Those stories helped shape the law.

We’re part of a bigger wave

More than half of U.S. states have introduced or passed menopause-related bills in the past two years. The conversation is shifting in a real way, and Maryland is now part of it.

What this means for our community

Tisha Edwards, Time for Women participant and president and CEO of the Maryland Bankers Association, hit perimenopause in her 40s with no vocabulary for it. Today she sees menopause as “an opportunity for women to reclaim their independence.”

Coverage details can vary by plan type, so it’s worth checking with your insurer about what applies to you and when.