Underinvestment in U.S. Women’s Health: A Call for a $20 Billion Strategy

An opinion piece in *Newsweek* argues that the United States is choosing a policy path that undervalues women’s health research and clinical care. The author contends that each year of delayed investment pushes the cost onto the next generation of daughters, creating a cycle of inadequate diagnosis, limited treatment options, and higher overall health expenditures.

Newsweek

The article highlights the recently endorsed National Strategy to Close the Women’s Health Gap, which is backed by 37 medical organizations. The strategy proposes a $20 billion federal investment over the next decade to address longstanding neglect in women’s health research. The piece frames the issue as a systemic failure rather than a matter of “special treatment,” emphasizing that women’s health impacts families, workplaces, and the broader economy.

Newsweek

• Only 8.8 percent of National Institutes of Health (NIH) research grant spending from fiscal years 2013-2023 was allocated to women’s health research.

Newsweek

• The Medscape 2026 Physician Compensation Report shows obstetrician-gynecologists earn substantially less on average than urologists, despite managing high-risk pregnancies, emergency procedures, and extensive legal exposure.

Newsweek

• The article notes that Black women experience significantly worse maternal outcomes than white women, indicating that the underinvestment disproportionately harms already vulnerable populations.

Newsweek

According to the commentary, continued financial pressure and burnout among physicians who provide women’s health care will lead to longer waiting times, fewer specialists, and reduced maternity services. The author warns that these trends will increase preventable complications, raise health-care costs, and widen existing health disparities, ultimately affecting the health and economic stability of families across the nation.

Newsweek

The piece urges Congress to fund the National Strategy to Close the Women’s Health Gap and recommends that health systems revise reimbursement policies that deter physicians from entering women’s health specialties. It also calls on researchers, employers, and voters to prioritize women’s health as a national issue rather than a niche concern. Dr. Angela Stoehr, MD, FACOG, founder of The Stoehr Center in Frisco, Texas, is cited as an expert on chronic pelvic pain and sexual dysfunction, underscoring the clinical realities behind the policy argument.

Newsweek