What Happened?

About four in five women experience menopause symptoms, yet only four to six percent of American women currently receive hormone replacement therapy (HRT), according to a review of 89 studies across multiple countries. The Senate Special Committee on Aging will hold a hearing Wednesday, Sept. 16, titled "Hearings To Examine The Menopause Care Gap In America" to look at why that gap exists and what Congress might do about it.

The review found that many women face fragmented care, delayed diagnoses, and inconsistent insurance coverage when seeking menopause treatment.

Why Does it Matter to Me?

Research published in March identified integrated care models and the menopausal transition as critical areas needing policy attention, with studies drawing on data from Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

A separate multinational survey found gaps in treatment access and international differences in how much patients are involved in their own care. Notably, the survey found that greater access to health care in the United Kingdom and the United States did not translate into higher patient satisfaction.

Both Sides, Now

The hearing is a bipartisan effort. Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL), the committee's Republican chair, and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), the committee's top Democrat, are jointly overseeing the examination. Gillibrand plans to call for passage of bipartisan legislation to increase federal research on menopause, according to the New York Times.

Because the hearing is a fact-finding session rather than a vote, no specific bill has cleared a committee or reached the Senate floor yet. The hearing gives both parties a chance to question experts and build a public record before deciding whether to act.

What Happens Next?

For anything to change for patients, lawmakers would need to draft legislation, move it through committee, and pass it in both the Senate and the House before it could be signed into law. No vote is currently scheduled. The hearing could produce a push for new federal research funding or broader insurance coverage rules, but those outcomes depend on whether lawmakers choose to advance legislation after reviewing the testimony.

---

Spot something wrong? Report an issue with this article