California Gov. Gavin Newsom carved out funding for menopause services in his recently unveiled state budget after he was put on blast by actress Halle Berry, who said he “should not be our next president” for sidelining the key women’s health issue.
Newsom quietly included $3.4 million in funding from the state’s $350 billion budget “to support health coverage for perimenopause and menopause.”
The line item includes $3 million from the state’s general fund plus “$391,000 Managed Care Fund ongoing, to support health care coverage for perimenopause and menopause, including enrollee access to care, provider education, and a statewide public awareness campaign,” according to budget documents.
The development comes just weeks after Halle bashed Newsom onstage for vetoing bills that would have improved access to menopause coverage two years in a row.
“Back in my great state of California, my very own governor, Gavin Newsom, has vetoed our menopause bill, not one, but two years in a row,” the “Catwoman” star said. “But that’s OK, because he’s not going to be governor forever, and the way he has overlooked women, half the population, by devaluing us, he probably should not be our next president either. Just saying.”
Newsom later caught up with TMZ and said the two were “reconciling” the issue, and menopause funding was already in the works.
A spokesperson for Newsom told Page Six that he “has deep admiration for Ms. Berry’s advocacy and looks forward to working with her and other stakeholders on this critical issue.”
“He shares her goal of expanding access to menopause care that too many women struggle to get.”
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“He vetoed the bill because, as written, it would have unintentionally raised health care costs for millions of working women already stretched thin — something he’s determined to avoid.”
They continued, “We’re confident that by working together this year, we can expand access to essential menopause treatment while protecting women from higher bills.”
Berry’s rep didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Newsom vetoed AB 432, which would have required insurers to cover menopause care, in October over affordability concerns.
