NEWS

Why am I such an advocate for publicly funded menopause care?

The simple answer is Menopause Care is Health Care.

The more detailed answer is that my value system does not align with charging patients for care that I believe is health care. I have be involved in private care to assess it and know that there is no reason, in my opinion, that people should pay for care for midlife concerns.

Is menopause complex? At times yes.

However:

Access to midlife medical support should not be determined by financial status, which is why it belongs firmly within the public system. Menopause is a physiological transition affecting half the population, fundamentally altering cardiovascular, bone, and metabolic health. Standard medical concerns should never be treated as luxury services or wellness commodities.

Menopause management is undeniably intricate, requiring nuanced risk-benefit analyses for hormone therapy and lifestyle interventions. Complexity has never been a reason to privatize; cardiology, neurology, and diabetes management are highly complex, yet they remain foundational pillars of publicly funded medicine.  If the medical system can structurally support complex chronic disease management, it can—and should—do the same for midlife health.

But we do need more support for providers.
There are a few billing complexities like not being able to bill consults in your own clinic when in many rural communities many providers share costs by working together.  Also, lack of overhead support is an ongoing issue as the primary care billing model does not apply to menopause provider doing only menopause.
I do have hope though:
Creative system design will lead to the ultimate goal of capacity building while training more clinicians to seamlessly embed comprehensive menopause care directly into standard primary care. 
Please continue to be vocal, to support your fellow midlife warriors and know people are looking towards solutions!

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