Albany, New York – Today, Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal(D/WF-Manhattan), Chair of the Assembly Committee on Housing, called for the urgent passage of her legislation that would improve workplace, insurance and healthcare standards for New Yorkers experiencing perimenopause and menopause. The package of bills is supported by a broad coalition of women health advocates and organizations, including the National Menopause Foundation, the Black Girl Guide to Surviving Menopause, The Pause Life, Let's Talk Menopause, Columbia Mailman School of Public Health, Weill-Cornell Medicine, NYU Langone and more.

The legislation is also supported by actresses and women health advocates Halle Berry and Naomi Watts, as well Tamsen Fadal, the New York Times best-selling author of “How to Menopause” and host of the Tamsen Show.

“Women’s health shouldn’t be a mystery, and experiencing menopause shouldn’t be a secret,” said Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal(D/WF-Manhattan). “Yet, year after year, thousands of women experiencing this phase of life are kept in the dark when it comes to their healthcare and their most basic rights. That’s why I’ve introduced a package of bills to flip that tired and antiquated script on its head – my legislation would strengthen our state’s labor laws to prohibit menopausal discrimination, improve our healthcare standards and ensure that menopausal care is affordable for all women.”

The first bill (A.5444) would require health insurance companies to cover the cost of menopausal treatment, such as hormones and other therapies. The Mayo Clinic found that menopausal-related treatments cost women close to $24.8 billion a year. Medicaid already covers menopausal treatment, and New Jersey, Illinois and Louisiana have passed similar laws.

The second bill (A.5436) would strengthen our state’s labor laws to explicitly prohibit the discrimination of women experiencing menopause in the workplace, while also directing employers to provide employees with a menopause bill of rights. The Mayo Clinic also found that women experiencing menopause often leave or are forced out of the workplace, costing the U.S economy approximately $1.8 billion a year. Rhode Island passed similar legislation in 2025.

The third bill (A.9170) would encourage medical professionals to engage in continuing education classes on menopause. According to Johns Hopkins' Women's Wellness and Healthy Aging Program, 75% of women said they had never received proper treatment for their menopausal symptoms, and an astonishing 80% of OB-GYN residents felt ill-prepared to discuss the topic with their patients.

The fourth (A.9000) and fifth bills (A.9304) in the package, which were previously reported out of the Assembly Committee on Health, direct the New York State Department of Health to create and distribute a pamphlet about menopause, as well as maintain information about menopause on its website. Maine has passed and enacted similar legislation.

“We cannot let the status quo continue,” said Assemblymember Rosenthal . “At a time when statehouses across the country, and even the federal government, is making it harder for women to exist, New York must lead by championing common-sense policies that prioritize women’s healthcare. My bills do exactly that, and I look forward to pushing them over the legislative finish line for every woman who was ever fired, misdiagnosed or simply ignored during menopause.”

For too long, women have been told to suffer through menopause and white-knuckle it in silence,” said Halle Berry, actress and women’s health advocate. “That ends now. Assemblymember Rosenthal 's package of bills is exactly the kind of bold, commonsense action that women across New York have been waiting for. When women have access to insurance coverage for menopausal care, are protected from workplace discrimination, and can walk into a doctor's office to get research-backed information about what's happening to their bodies, it can change their lives. New York has an opportunity to lead the nation and show the rest of the country what it looks like to truly value women in midlife. I am proud to stand with Assemblymember Rosenthaland urge the New York legislature to pass these bills without delay.”

“Women have long been dismissed, misdiagnosed and left without information about one of the most significant transitions of their lives,” said Tamsen Fadal, NYT best-selling author of “How to Menopause and podcast host of the Tamsen Show. “That silence has real consequences, for our health, our careers, and our families. Assemblymember Rosenthal 's four bills give New York women what they have always deserved: trained doctors, real coverage, workplace protections, and the information to advocate for themselves. This is what change looks like, and New York is leading it."

“The ‘Pause Life supports the menopause bills proposed by Assemblywoman Rosenthalbecause they would expand access to perimenopause and menopause care, improve patient education, and strengthen workplace protections, said Lisa McDonald, Director of Policy and Advocacy of The ‘Pause Life. “For too long, women's midlife health has been overlooked and under-treated. It’s time for policy to catch up with science.”

“As a native New Yorker, I’m proud and grateful that New York State continues to advance policies to improve the health and well-being of women and girls,” said Claire Gill, founder of the National Menopause Foundation. “I commend Assemblymember Rosenthalfor introducing legislation to address women’s midlife health and menopause, which could positively impact the more than five million women over the age of 40 living in the state."

More than 75 million women in the United States are in some stage of menopause, yet most do not receive adequate care – a gap driven by the fact that for far too long,menopause has been overlooked in our healthcare system,” said Donna Klassen, LCSW, Co-Founder and Board Chair of Let’s Talk Menopause. “Policy change is a crucial step forward in changing this narrative, and the bills introduced by Assemblymember Rosenthalare essential to breaking that silence, reducing barriers to treatment, and ensuring women get the support they need to live and work with dignity. We commend Assemblymember Rosenthalfor making menopause care a priority for women in New York.”