A bill to improve awareness, understanding and quality of care for women going through perimenopause and menopause is working through the Illinois General Assembly.
State Representative Yolonda Morris introduced House Bill 5284, the Illinois Menopause Equity and Care, in February. It passed with bipartisan support in the House in April.
The bill aims to improve access to healthcare, expand education, and bring greater clarity to workplace protections for individuals experiencing menopause.
“This bill is about dignity. This bill about health and fairness,” said Morris, who represents the 9th district.
Ironically, she experienced a hot flash while introducing it in committee.
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“I said, ‘I’m having a hot flash right now. Right now.’ And, it’s a type of heat that [comes] on like, nobody understands,” said Morris who worked in healthcare for more than two decades before she was appointed to replace former Rep. Lakesia Collins in 2023.
If signed into law, the bill would require the Department of Public Health to make educational materials about symptoms and evidence-based treatment options available to the public, and voluntary educational resources available to support clinicians.
Fewer than 20% of primary care doctors receive formal training in menopause, according to the nonprofit organization the Menopause Society.
Illinois already mandates insurance coverage for FDA-approved menopause treatment. This bill would amend the insurance code to expand coverage to a wider range of care, like diagnosis, more treatment options and osteoporosis medication.
“We have a lot of branded products like estrogen patches, and gels and oral medications, but when we need to step outside of some of the generic products, or we have women who have breast tenderness or they can’t tolerate a certain class of medications, we’re having to reach for compounded options or branded options that are, oftentimes not accessible,” said Dr. Kristi Desapri.
Desapri founded Bone and Body Women’s Health in north suburban Chicago. She said the bill would help to address access issues many of her patients face daily.
“There’s some supply chain issues with estrogen patches and other products as the demand has increased,” said Desapri. “When the demand increases, I’ve seen some of the prices rising also for some of these products that used to be a little bit more affordable.”
The bill also says employers cannot discriminate against employees experiencing menopause-related conditions and must provide “reasonable accommodations,” including flexible scheduling or modified work hours, temperature control or climate-adjusted workspace, private spaces for symptom management, remote work options, and light duty assignments if feasible.
The bill is currently in Senate committee. If passed, it would take effect Jan. 1, 2028.
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