S.B. 3822/H.B. 5510 Sponsors: Sen. Linda Holmes and Rep. Greg Harris

Current prior authorization requirements instituted by health insurance entities are forcing patients to wait too long for medically necessary and appropriate treatments. According to surveys from the Illinois State Medical Society (ISMS) and other medical organizations, these prior authorization requirements are causing critical patient care delays and potential adverse patient safety events. To address these issues, House Bill 5510 and Senate Bill 3822 will create a system to reduce long term health care costs by eliminating or reducing inefficiencies and by keeping people healthy on the front end.

• Access the ISMS White Paper
• Read the Coalition Position Paper
• View the Bill
• Take Action at the Coalition Website
• Contact your legislators through the Grassroots Action Center
• Bill Status of H.B. 5510
• Bill Status of S.B. 3822

H.B. 4579 Sponsor: Rep. Anna Moeller

This bill would amend the Nurse Practice Act to remove the requirement that an anesthesiologist remain "physically present and available on the premises" during the delivery of anesthesia services by a certified registered nurse anesthetist for diagnosis, consultation, and treatment of emergency medical conditions, instead allowing any physician to simply remain "available."

• Bill Status of H.B. 4579

S.B. 3266 Sponsor: Sen. Laura Fine

This bill would amend several Acts to require hospitals, facilities, and pharmacies to offer a patient any unused portion of a facility-provided medication upon discharge when it is administered to a patient at the hospital, facility, or pharmacy and is required for continuing treatment. 

• Bill Status of S.B. 3266

S.B. 3545 Sponsors: Sen. Laura Fine

This bill would require health insurance plans to provide coverage for anti-epileptic drugs without imposing a waiting period or any deductible, coinsurance, copayment, or other cost-sharing limitation that is greater than that required for other coverage under the policy. It also provides that anti-epileptic drugs may not be substituted with a generic drug under provisions of the Pharmacy Practice Act that otherwise allow a pharmacist to substitute a therapeutically equivalent generic drug for a prescription drug.

• Bill Status of S.B. 3545

S.B. 3186 and H.B. 4725 Sponsors: Sen. Ram Villivalam and Rep. Kathleen Willis

These bills would require physicians who serve adult populations to complete 6 hours of education on the diagnosis, treatment, and care of individuals with cognitive impairments, including, but not limited to, Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, in order to receive or renew their medical licenses. 

• Bill Status of S.B. 3186
• Bill Status of H.B. 4725

H.B. 4870 Sponsor: Rep. Robyn Gabel

This bill would provide that the Department of Public Health shall adopt a rule requiring students, upon entering the sixth grade of any public, private, or parochial school, to receive the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination and requiring confirmation that the student has completed the series of HPV vaccinations upon entering the ninth grade of any public, private, or parochial school.

• Bill Status of H.B. 4870
• H.B. 4870 Fact Sheet

S.B. 3668 Sponsor: Sen. Heather A. Steans

This bill would remove language allowing children to be exempted from medical examinations and immunizations on religious grounds. It establishes that a minor who is 14 years of age or older shall have the right to have administered to the minor an adequate dose or doses of an immunization for communicable diseases, regardless of whether the minor's parent or guardian consents to the administration of the immunization.

• Bill Status of S.B. 3668

H.B. 5522 Sponsor: Rep. Emanuel Chris Welch

This bill would require that continuing education courses for physicians, nurses and physician assistants contain curriculum that includes the understanding of implicit bias in the practice of medicine.

Implicit bias refers to the attitudes or stereotypes that affect our understanding, actions and decisions in an unconscious manner.

• Bill Status of H.B. 5522

S.B. 3659 Sponsor: Sen. Melinda Bush

This bill would mandate that physicians offer a prescription for naloxone with certain prescriptions of opioids and would require that physicians have specific conversations, not only with the patient but with one or more individuals designated by the patient, about addiction.

• Bill Status of S.B. 3659
• ISMS Position Paper

H.B. 4998 Sponsor: Rep. Charles Meier

This bill would amend the Illinois Controlled Substances Act and provide that an initial prescription for an opioid may only be issued for a seven-day supply.

• Bill Status of H.B. 4998

S.B. 2340 and H.B. 4997 Sponsors: Sen. Laura Fine and Rep. Charles Meier

These bills would require that prior to issuing a prescription for an opioid that is a Schedule II controlled substance to a patient under 18, the prescriber shall discuss with the patient's parent or guardian (or with the patient, if they are an emancipated minor):

1. The risks of developing a physical or psychological dependence on the opioid
2. Alternative treatments that the prescriber deems appropriate
   
    

• Bill Status of S.B. 2340
• Bill Status of H.B. 4997

S.B. 2758 and H.B. 4692 Sponsors: Sen. Laura M. Murphy and Rep Kathleen Willis 

This bill would provide independent practice for physician assistants.

• Bill Status of S.B. 2758
• Bill Status of H.B. 4692

H.B. 4578 Sponsor: Rep. Anna Moeller

This bill would expand prescriptive authority for prescribing psychologists to include patients under 17 and over 65 years of age.

• Bill Status of H.B. 4578

H.B. 4749 Sponsor: Rep. Deb Conroy

This bill would make it the policy of the State that managed care companies or third-party payers shall not mandate that healthcare professionals use a specific electronic medical records software system in order to provide or bill for services to patients, and prohibits specified insurance policies and plans from discriminating with respect to the provision of health care services against a healthcare professional on the basis of that health care professional's utilization of a specific electronic medical records software system.

• Status of H.B. 4749

House Bill 5044 is an initiative of the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association that would repeal the long-standing doctrine of "forum non conveniens," which ensures fundamental fairness by affording courts discretionary power to decline hearing a case when the interests of justice require a trial in a more appropriate forum. Repealing this doctrine would allow medical liability cases to be tried almost anywhere, regardless of where the medical care was delivered, leaving defendants without recourse when plaintiffs go "venue shopping." 

• ISMS Position Paper
• Contact your legislators through the Grassroots Action Center
• Bill Status of HB 5044