Lilly Supports Bill to Preserve Prescription Drug Coverage

SPRINGFIELD, Ill.—Insurance companies would be prohibited from changing coverage terms for prescribed drugs midway through the year under legislation backed by state Rep. Camille Y. Lilly, D-Chicago.

“People choose their insurance plan with the understanding that they’ll be covered, regardless of their health conditions,” said Lilly. “When insurance companies unexpectedly change coverage terms, our most vulnerable citizens are then forced to pay unaffordable costs and risk losing their life-saving prescriptions.”

Lilly sponsored House Bill 4146, which preserves patients’ access to life-saving medications by preventing insurance companies from suddenly changing coverage terms mid-year. Currently, insurers are permitted to change their plans during the year; however, patients must wait until the next enrollment period to choose a new plan. Without the coverage they had expected when they initially agreed to the plan, patients then must pay higher out-of-pocket costs for their prescription drugs.

“Families in our community cannot afford to have their health care stripped away from them without a moment’s notice and then be expected to fend for themselves,” Lilly said. “If you don’t have your health, you don’t have much else, and that is why peoples’ health and well-being must always be prioritized before profits.”