On Wednesday in Chicago, Illinois Governor Pritzker signed the Healthcare Protection Act into law. This health insurance reform bill prohibits step therapy and prior authorization for crisis mental health care. Additionally, it aims to enhance network adequacy, eliminate junk insurance plans, and put an end to unregulated rate hikes for large group insurance companies. The legislation was given the green light by the state legislature in May, and Governor Pritzker hailed its approval as a “historic win for patients across this state.”
In a separate development, it was announced on the same day that certain Illinois residents may have their medical debt forgiven. A recent bill signed into law stipulates that the state will cover the medical debt of individuals whose household income falls below 400% of the federal poverty level or who carry medical debt exceeding five percent of their annual household income. The state estimates that this provision will benefit 90% of Illinois residents burdened by medical debt.
The state says that makes up 90-percent of Illinoisans with medical debt.
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