Creates the Illinois Menopause Equity and Care Act. Amends the Department of Public Health Powers and Duties Law. Requires the Department of Public Health to create educational materials regarding menopause, including symptoms, treatment options, and patient rights for distribution to the public online. Amends the Illinois Insurance Code. Provides that on or after January 1, 2028, all individual and group health insurance policies issued, renewed, or amended must provide coverage for medically necessary evaluation and treatment of perimenopause and menopause as determined by a licensed health care provider using evidence-based guidelines. Amends the Medical Practice Act of 1987. Provides if a licensee treats or evaluates patients suffering from menopause-related conditions, 5 hours of the required 50 hours must include continuing education on menopause care, including management of symptoms, hormonal and non-hormonal therapies, and bone health. Amends the Illinois Human Rights Act. Defines "menopause-related condition" includes perimenopause, menopause, and associated medical or symptomatic conditions, including, but not limited to, vasomotor symptoms, sleep disruption, cognitive or mood changes, and osteoporosis-related changes. Provides that it is a civil rights violation to unlawfully discriminate because of a menopause-related condition or fail or refuse to provide reasonable accommodations.
House Floor Amendment No. 1: Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Provides that the Act may be referred to as the Illinois Menopause Equity and Care Act. Provides that the purpose of this Act is to improve awareness, understanding, and quality of care for individuals experiencing menopause. Requires the Department of Public Health to develop and make publicly available educational materials about menopause, including symptoms, evidence-based treatment options, and patient rights. Amends the Illinois Insurance Code. Requires that any individual or group plan of accident or health insurance amended, delivered, issued, or renewed on or after January 1, 2028 to provide coverage for medically necessary evaluation and treatment of menopause and perimenopause conditions as determined by a licensed health care provider in accordance with current evidence-based guidelines. Provides that covered treatment includes, but is not limited to: (i) hormone therapy; (ii) non-hormonal therapies for vasomotor symptoms; (iii) medications for menopause-related osteoporosis; or (iv) other treatments as recommended by a licensed health care provider. Allows insurers to voluntarily report menopause-related claims to the Department of Insurance for policy analysis. Amends the Medical Practice Act of 1987. Authorizes the Department of Public Health to make voluntary educational resources available to support clinicians in providing patient-based care, but participation in these resources is voluntary and is not required for licensure, certification, or professional compliance. Amends the Illinois Human Rights Act. Defines a menopause-related condition to mean perimenopause, menopause, and associated medical or symptomatic conditions that includes, but is not limited to, vasomotor symptoms, sleep disruption, cognitive or mood changes, and osteoporosis-related changes. Provides that for an employer to discriminate in any way or refuse or fail to provide reasonable accommodations for an employee because of a menopause-related condition is a civil rights violation under this Act. Reasonable accommodations may include, but are not limited to, flexible scheduling or modified work hours; temperature control or climate-adjusted workspace; private spaces for rest or symptom management; remote work options; and light-duty assignments if safe and feasible. Employers must engage in a timely, good-faith interactive process with employees who request accommodations under this subsection. Employers must post notices of the rights provided in this subsection and provide them to employees on beginning employment or on request. Provides a severability clause.
Senate Floor Amendment No. 4: Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Reinserts the provisions of the engrossed bill with the following changes. In the Illinois Insurance Code: deletes changes affecting menopause-related conditions; provides that a group or individual policy of accident and health insurance or a managed care plan must provide coverage for medically necessary hormonal and non-hormonal therapy to treat menopausal and perimenopausal symptoms or conditions if the therapy is recommended by a qualified health care provider and the therapy has been proven safe and effective in peer-reviewed scientific studies and is prescribed in accordance with current evidence-based guidelines; provides that coverage for therapy to treat menopausal and perimenopausal symptoms or conditions must include all federal Food and Drug Administration-approved modalities of hormonal and non-hormonal administration; and provides that coverage must include medications for menopause-related osteoporosis and non-hormonal therapies for vasomotor symptoms. In the Illinois Human Rights Act, removes menopause-related conditions from the definition of "unlawful discrimination". In the Employment Article of the Illinois Human Rights Act: provides that "reasonable accommodations" for pregnancy include flexible scheduling or modified work hours and temperature or climate-adjusted workspace; removes language providing that it is a civil rights violation for an employer to discriminate in any way or refuse or fail to provide reasonable accommodations for an employee because of a menopause-related condition; and provides that the notice summarizing the requirements of the Article must include information about the right to reasonable accommodations for pregnancy, which includes the right to reasonable accommodations for menopause-related conditions. Effective January 1, 2027, except that the changes to the Illinois Insurance Code take effect January 1, 2028.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 20 ILCS 2310/750, 215 ILCS 5/356, 225 ILCS 60/20, 775 ILCS 5/1, 775 ILCS 5/2
Engrossed: 20 ILCS 2310/2310, 215 ILCS 5/356, 225 ILCS 60/20, 775 ILCS 5/1, 775 ILCS 5/2