The Leadership Gap in Women’s Health: Why $100 Billion in Opportunity Demands a New Executive Profile
The women’s health market represents over $100 billion in opportunity by 2030 across just these four conditions, but gaining reimbursement through traditional payer systems happens...
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Two-thirds of women with osteoporosis go undiagnosed. Only 25% of women currently seek care for menopause treatment. Women are 66% of Alzheimer’s patients but face unique diagnostic challenges that traditional systems aren’t addressing. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for women worldwide, yet women-specific symptoms and risk factors remain poorly recognized in clinical practice. Taken together, these gaps point to a massive and persistent failure in how women’s health is diagnosed, delivered, and paid for. The women’s health market represents over $100 billion in opportunity by 2030 across just these four conditions, but gaining reimbursement through traditional payer systems happens at a glacial pace.
As an example, the Find It Early Act, which proposed expanding insurance coverage for breast cancer screenings, is still in early legislative stages despite bipartisan support since 2023. This isn’t an isolated case. It’s emblematic of how reimbursement policy lags behind medical innovation and patient need in women’s health. For PE-and VC-backed companies in this space, this creates a strategic decision: wait for policy change, or build around it.
The most successful companies aren’t waiting. They’re pursuing self-pay models, employer partnerships and consumer-centered approaches that sidestep traditional reimbursement constraints. Capital is following that strategy. Women’s health innovation companies raised $1.2 billion in venture capital in 2023, with the bulk going to direct-to-consumer models. Employers are paying attention, too: Employer-sponsored menopause benefits at large organizations jumped from 4% in 2022 to 15% in 2024. As my colleagues and I discussed in this article, self-pay models offer strategic advantages in evidence generation that position companies for eventual integration into traditional payers.
On the talent side, these business models demand a fundamentally different executive profile. Executives must be able to build consumer brands alongside clinical services, while scaling profitably without reliance on Medicare or Medicaid. Credibility with HR leaders also becomes critical, as making the case for new benefits categories depends on generating compelling evidence today that can ultimately influence what insurers are willing to reimburse tomorrow.
The competitive advantage rests with organizations that can attract executives who understand both the clinical mission and the commercial reality of building outside traditional healthcare payment structures. As investment in women’s health accelerates, the question isn’t when reimbursement will catch up, but how executive teams can build thriving businesses in the meantime.
