Illinois lawmakers are considering legislation that aims to address mental health parity in Illinois.
There are federal and state laws requiring insurance providers to cover not only physical health issues, but also mental health.
Illinois has strict laws, but some argue they’re not properly enforced, and those with mental health or addiction issues don’t always understand what’s covered with insurance.
State Rep. Lou Lang, D-Skokie, is sponsoring legislation that would require the Illinois Department of Insurance to effectively communicate policy coverage.
“When people have problems getting their claims paid or they have problems getting coverage by Medicaid, we know that they don’t know what to do,” Lang said. “They don’t even know they have a claim they haven’t made. They don’t know who to turn to. And when they do turn to people that they think are appropriate, they sometimes get a deaf ear.”
Opponents say the measure could result in patients being over-medicated.
Brianna Lantz is a spokesperson for the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association. She's concerned about a part of the bill that would remove prior authorization requirements for medication.
“There are ways that prior [authorizations] are used for safety reasons—in terms of making sure people are not being over-prescribed or are not filling prescriptions before they should be refilled,” Lantz said.
The measure would require the Auditor General to conduct compliance reviews and report the findings to the General Assembly annually. It has yet to be voted on outside of committee.