New Jersey has enacted a law requiring health insurers to cover comprehensive menopause care, a move advocates say could reshape access to treatment for millions of residents navigating midlife health changes.
New law’s requirements
Signed on Friday by Gov. Phil Murphy (D), the New Jersey Menopause Coverage Act mandates that health insurance carriers cover medically necessary diagnosis and treatment for perimenopause, menopause and related symptoms.
Covered services include hormonal and non-hormonal therapies, behavioral health care, pelvic floor physical therapy, bone health treatments, preventive services, and counseling and education about treatment options.
The law applies to perimenopause as well as menopause, aiming to reach patients earlier in the transition when symptoms can begin to disrupt daily life and work. Sponsors say the measure is designed to remove financial barriers that often keep patients from seeking care.
Lawmakers frame issue as equity
“For too long, menopause has been treated as a private burden rather than a public health issue,” Assemblywoman Heather Simmons (D-Gloucester) said, calling the law a message that “your symptoms are real” and that the state is “stepping up.”
Assemblyman Roy Freiman (D-Somerset) described the legislation as “common sense” and “long overdue,” emphasizing that insurance policies should reflect the scale of the population affected each year.
Assemblywoman Lisa Swain (D-Bergen_ said menopause care has been “overlooked for decades” and linked access to treatment with women’s ability to sustain their careers and quality of life. Until now, coverage for menopause-related care in New Jersey has varied widely by plan and insurer, leaving many patients paying out of pocket or forgoing treatment altogether.
Menopause burden by the numbers
Roughly 1.3 million people in the United States reach menopause every year, according to data cited by the National Institutes of Health, underscoring the scale of need for consistent care. The Mayo Clinic estimates that menopause symptoms contribute to about $1.8 billion in lost productivity annually nationwide, reflecting missed workdays, reduced hours, and job changes linked to unmanaged symptoms.
Health advocates say those figures point to both a health and economic imperative for robust menopause coverage. They argue New Jersey’s new law could serve as a model for other states weighing how to modernize insurance rules around women’s midlife health.