While Illinois has mental health parity laws on the books, some say those in need are still being denied proper coverage. A new proposal would require the state’s Department of Insurance communicate policy coverage for those in need of mental health or addiction treatments.
Brianna Lantz is a spokes-person for the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association. She says she's concerned about a part of the bill that would remove prior authorization requirements for medication.
“There are ways that prior auths 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 says.
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.