---
title: HB 988. State employees; require health benefit plan to cover hormone replacement therapy for biological women experiencing perimenopause and menopause when such therapy is ordered or prescribed
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hb988
cite_as: HB 988, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb988
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb988.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb988/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72248
date: 2026-01-27
status: introduced
corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13
license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md
publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
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omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 129
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb988.md?full=1
bill_number: HB 988
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2026-01-15
last_action: House Second Readers
sponsors:
- Beth Camp
- Jan Jones
- Leesa Hagan
- Bethany Ballard
- Kimberly New
- Carmen Rice
text_version: Introduced
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB988/2025
upstream_id: 2083514
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
- health insurance
- state employee benefits
- menopause
- women's health
- hormone therapy
---
# HB 988. State employees; require health benefit plan to cover hormone replacement therapy for biological women experiencing perimenopause and menopause when such therapy is ordered or prescribed
## Text
House Bill 988
By: Representatives Camp of the 135th, Jones of the 47th, Hagan of the 156th, Ballard of the
147th, New of the 40th, and others
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Article 1 of Chapter 18 of Title 45 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated,
relating to the state employees' health insurance plan and post-employment health benefit
fund, so as to require the state health benefit plan to cover hormone replacement therapy for
biological women experiencing perimenopause and menopause when such therapy is
ordered or prescribed by a licensed physician; to provide for definitions; to allow for
deductibles, coinsurance and copayment provisions, and utilization review; to provide for
related matters; to provide an effective date and applicability; to repeal conflicting laws; and
for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
Article 1 of Chapter 18 of Title 45 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to the
state employees' health insurance plan and post-employment health benefit fund, is amended
in Part 1, relating to state employees' health insurance plan, by adding a new Code section
to read as follows:
"45-18-4.3.
(a) As used in this Code section, the term:
(1) 'Hormone replacement therapy' means a therapy, including the administering of
supplemental or replacement synthetic, biological, or bioidentical hormones, that partially
replenishes the hormones that naturally diminish in biological women experiencing
perimenopause and menopause, controls symptoms of perimenopause and menopause,
or protects against diseases and conditions that biological women are more prone to
experiencing after menopause.
(2) 'State health benefit plan' means the health insurance plan or plans authorized
pursuant to this article, Subparts 2 and 3 of Part 6 of Article 17 of Chapter 2 of Title 20,
and Code Sections 20-3-31, 20-3-51, and 31-2-4.
(b) Beginning January 1, 2027, the state health benefit plan shall include coverage for
hormone replacement therapy for biological women experiencing perimenopause and
menopause when such therapy is ordered or prescribed by a licensed physician.
(c) The benefits covered under this Code section shall be subject to the same deductibles,
coinsurance or copayment provisions, and utilization review applicable to other similar
covered benefits under the state health benefit plan."
SECTION 2.
This Act shall become effective July 1, 2026, and shall apply to all policies or contracts
issued, delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed in this state on or after such date.
SECTION 3.
All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.
## Summaries written by Georgia Commons
The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the bill. Quote the text, not the summary.
A Georgia House bill would require the state employees' health benefit plan to cover hormone replacement therapy for biological women going through perimenopause or menopause when a doctor prescribes it, starting January 1, 2027.
### Plain-language summary
Currently the state employees' health insurance plan does not specifically guarantee coverage for hormone replacement therapy related to perimenopause and menopause. This bill adds a new section to Georgia law (O.C.G.A. ยง 45-18-4.3) requiring the state health benefit plan to cover this therapy for biological women when it is ordered or prescribed by a licensed physician.
The bill defines hormone replacement therapy broadly, covering synthetic, biological, or bioidentical hormones used to replace hormones lost during perimenopause and menopause, control symptoms, or protect against related health conditions. Coverage would begin January 1, 2027, and would be subject to the same deductibles, coinsurance, copayments, and utilization review rules that apply to other similar benefits under the plan. The bill itself would take effect July 1, 2026, and apply to policies issued or renewed in Georgia on or after that date.
### What it does
- Adds a new Code section requiring the state health benefit plan to cover hormone replacement therapy for biological women experiencing perimenopause and menopause.
- Defines hormone replacement therapy to include synthetic, biological, or bioidentical hormones that replenish diminished hormones, control symptoms, or protect against related post-menopause conditions.
- Limits the coverage requirement to therapy that is ordered or prescribed by a licensed physician.
- Allows the plan to apply the same deductibles, coinsurance, copayments, and utilization review used for other comparable covered benefits.
- Sets the coverage requirement to begin January 1, 2027, while the Act itself takes effect July 1, 2026.
### Who it affects
State employees and retirees enrolled in Georgia's state health benefit plan, particularly biological women experiencing perimenopause or menopause, along with the state agencies and insurers that administer the plan and the physicians who prescribe the therapy.
### Why it matters
State employees who need hormone replacement therapy during perimenopause or menopause would have a guaranteed path to coverage under their state health plan starting in 2027, rather than coverage depending on the plan's own discretionary choices, though they could still face standard deductibles, copays, and utilization review.
### Key provisions
- Section 1 adds new Code Section 45-18-4.3 to Title 45, defining 'hormone replacement therapy' and 'state health benefit plan.'
- Subsection (b) requires the state health benefit plan to cover this therapy for biological women with perimenopause or menopause when prescribed by a licensed physician, beginning January 1, 2027.
- Subsection (c) states the new coverage is subject to the same deductibles, coinsurance, copayments, and utilization review as other similar benefits under the plan.
- Section 2 sets the Act's effective date as July 1, 2026, applying to policies issued, delivered, or renewed on or after that date.
- Section 3 repeals any conflicting laws.
## Status
- Status: Introduced (2026-01-15)
- Last action: House Second Readers (2026-01-27)
- Sponsors: Beth Camp, Jan Jones, Leesa Hagan, Bethany Ballard, Kimberly New, Carmen Rice
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72248
> The history, votes, and amendments (129 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb988.md?full=1