Lori Cowdrey Benso | Executive Director, Healthcare Council | 217-725-6522
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The purpose of the Healthcare Council is to develop and take actions to achieve affordable, accessible, efficient, high-quality healthcare options for the employers and residents of our state. We advocate for market-based solutions that encourage innovation in healthcare delivery – and work against costly mandates and burdensome regulations. Through quarterly meetings, the Council brings together the diverse voices of the healthcare community and provides a forum to interact with government and private sector leaders at the highest levels. |
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February 28, 2022
Good morning! I hope everyone had a great weekend.
Session Update:
The House and Senate were busy last week in session. The House is scheduled to meet this week on March 1st and the Senate returns March 8th. It was a slower Committee week last week. The deadline for approval of Senate bills was last Friday; however, many bill deadlines were extended to March 11th. The House third reading deadline is Friday, March 4th.
Bills we are watching closely this week:
HB 4349, INS Coverage passed out of the Insurance Committee by a vote of 16-0-0. This bill provides that coverage for congenital defects shall include the treatment of cleft lip and cleft palate. Provides that an individual or group policy of accident and health insurance amended, delivered, issued, or renewed on or after the effective date of the amendatory Act shall provide coverage for the medically necessary care and treatment of cleft lip and palate for children under the age of 19. Provides that coverage for cleft lip and palate care and treatment may impose the same deductible, coinsurance, or other cost-sharing limitation that is imposed on other related surgical benefits under the policy.
HB 4493, INS Various passed out of the Insurance Committee by a vote of 17-0-0. This bill among other things provides that no health insurance coverage issued, amended, delivered, or renewed on or after the effective date of the amendatory Act may impose any preexisting condition exclusion with respect to the plan or coverage. Removes language concerning preexisting condition exclusion limitations.
HB 4595, PBM passed out of the Prescription Drug Affordability & Accessibility Committee by a vote of 18-0-0. This bill provides that a contract between a pharmacy benefit manager or third-party payer and a covered entity under Section 340B of the federal Public Health Service Act shall not contain specified provisions. Provides that a violation by a pharmacy benefit manager constitutes an unfair or deceptive act or practice in the business of insurance, and that a provision that violates the prohibition on certain provisions in a contract between a pharmacy benefit manager or a third-party payer and a 340B covered entity that is entered into, amended, or renewed after July 1, 2022 shall be void and unenforceable. In provisions concerning pharmacy benefits, provides that a Medicaid managed care organization or pharmacy benefit manager administering or managing benefits on behalf of a Medicaid managed organization shall not include specified provisions in a contract with a covered entity or with any pharmacy owned by or contracted with the covered entity. Provides that a violation by a Medicaid managed care organization or its pharmacy benefit manager constitutes an unfair or deceptive act or practice in the business of insurance, and that a provision that violates the prohibition on certain provisions in a contract between a Medicaid managed care organization or its pharmacy benefit manager and a 340B covered entity entered into, amended, or renewed after July 1, 2022 shall be void and unenforceable.
HB5305, INS Colonoscopy passed out of the Insurance Committee by a vote of 16-0-0. This bill amends the Illinois Insurance Code. Provides that a group or individual policy of accident and health insurance or managed care plan amended, delivered, issued, or renewed on or after January 1, 2024 shall provide coverage for a colonoscopy determined to be medically necessary for persons aged 39 years old to 75 years old.
HB 5454, INS COVID-19 Testing Coverage passed out of the Insurance Committee by a vote of 16-0-0. This bill provides that a group or individual policy of accident and health insurance that is amended, delivered, issued, or renewed on or after the effective date of the amendatory Act shall provide coverage for testing for the detection or the diagnosis of COVID-19 without imposing a deductible, coinsurance, copayment, or any other cost-sharing requirement or a prior authorization requirement on the coverage provided if the purpose of the testing is for individualized diagnosis or treatment of COVID-19, in accordance with the requirements of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act. Provides that a testing site that provides services for testing for the detection or the diagnosis of COVID-19 shall collect accident and health insurance information from patients.
Bills of Interest with Floor Action:
HB 1780, Drug Takeback passed out of the House by a vote of 96-13-0. This bill provides that each covered manufacturer must, beginning January 1, 2024 (rather than no later than July 1, 2022) or 6 months after becoming a covered manufacturer, individually or collectively implement (rather than participate in) an approved drug take-back program. Requires a drug take-back program to provide for the collection, transportation, and disposal of covered drugs. Provides that specified requirements shall be undertaken by a drug take-back program or a covered manufacturer (rather than a manufacturer program operator). Requires the Agency to review all proposals in conjunction with one another to ensure the proposals are coordinated to achieve authorized collection site coverage. Requires each covered manufacturer and manufacturer program operator to register with the Agency and submit the registration fee by January 1, 2023 (rather than April 1, 2022), and by January 1 (rather than April 1) of each year thereafter.
HB 5254, INS Coverage passed out of the House by a vote of 108-0-0. This bill provides that a group or individual policy of accident and health insurance or a managed care plan that is amended, delivered, issued, or renewed on or after January 1, 2024 (rather than the effective date of the amendatory Act) shall provide coverage for medically necessary hormone therapy treatment to treat menopause that has been induced by a hysterectomy.
SB 2963, Group Life Insurance passed out of the Senate by a vote of 53-0-0. This bill provides that if active employment is a condition of a policy of group life insurance, in order to be delivered in the State the policy must contain provisions that state that continued coverage for specified active employees will remain in effect until the earliest of specified dates, and specified obligations of the replacing carrier may be limited to the amount for which the employee was covered under the prior carrier's group life insurance policy and may be reduced by any amounts payable under the prior carrier's group life insurance policy. Effective immediately.
SB 2977, Hospitals passed out of the Senate by a vote of 52-0-0. This bill provides that no patient, administrator, agent, or employee (rather than administrator, agent, or employee) of a hospital or a member of its medical staff may abuse a patient in the hospital. Provides that "abuse" in the provisions means any physical or mental injury or sexual abuse intentionally inflicted by, among other specified persons, a patient.
SB 3819, INS Coverage passed out of the Senate by a vote of 53-0-0. This bill provides that a group or individual policy of accident and health insurance or a managed care plan amended, delivered, issued, or renewed on or after January 1, 2024 (rather than after the effective date of the amendatory Act) shall provide coverage for community-based pediatric palliative care and hospice care and that the care shall be delivered to any qualifying child with a serious illness by a trained interdisciplinary team that allows a child to receive community-based pediatric palliative and hospice care while continuing to pursue curative treatment and disease-directed therapies for the qualifying illness.
Committees Scheduled the Week of February 28th:
View the Senate Committee schedule for next week here. View the House committee schedule here. Rail report subscribers will continue to get daily updates.
Weekly GAP Call
The Chamber will host a Government Affairs Professionals (GAP) call on Monday, February 28th at 3:00 pm. We will provide you the latest updates on what legislation we are watching this Spring. Call in information is provided below.
Microsoft Teams meeting
Join on your computer or mobile app
Or call in (audio only)
Phone Conference ID: 463 563 254#
Chamber Day 2022
On March 2nd, 2022 the Illinois Chamber will host our fifth annual Chamber Day. The event will take place in-person in Springfield at the President Abraham Lincoln Hotel, A Double Tree by Hilton. The Illinois Chamber is pleased to announce that Illinois Speaker of the House Emanuel "Chris" Welch and his counterpart, House Republican Leader Jim Durkin, will be speaking at the event.
View the full agenda here.
When: Wednesday, March 2, 2022 from 9:30 AM to 1:00 PM CST
Contact Information: Callie Brenden
Illinois Chamber of Commerce
217-361-6493
View the registration link for more information here.
List of Key Dates:
Third Reading Substantive Bills, Chamber of Origin: House-March 4
Bills Out of Committee, Second Chamber: House & Senate-March 25
Third Reading Substantive Bills, Second Chamber: House & Senate-April 1
Adjournment: April 8
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