I've been following this bill for awhile now but never got around to writing about it until after it passed through both chambers of the Illinois legislature. That's a shame, because it's a pretty Big F*cking Deal for Illinois residents.
The Illinois House passed the Healthcare Protection Act Saturday to help curb predatory insurance practices and protect consumers.
Gov. JB Pritzker's monumental plan could make Illinois the first state to ban prior authorization for in-patient adult and children's mental healthcare. The legislation also bans step therapy, or the fail first method, where insurers force people to receive less effective treatment before moving to options initially recommended by doctors.
...The measure requires prior approval from the Department of Insurance before large group insurance plans can increase rates and states premiums must align with the actual cost of providing care as well.
