Gov. JB Pritzker signed off Tuesday on a plan that will remove prior authorization for outpatient and partial hospitalization for mental health services deemed medically necessary.
The law also requires private insurers to provide coverage for transportation, food and lodging if an individual has to travel for care because there is no local in-network provider.
It can be denied if the provider is not in Illinois or within 100 miles of the beneficiary’s residence, unless no available provider is found within those parameters to provide services.
Another provision will prohibit state-regulated commercial insurers from including items such as executive bonuses and broker fees in their medical loss ratio, or the rate of premium dollars spent on patient care versus administrative costs.
Pritzker said during a bill signing at OSF HealthCare in Peoria that the proposal, one of his healthcare priorities this spring, is “another step toward quality and affordable healthcare for all.”
The law does not include a provision Pritzker initially called for to raise the state’s medical loss ratio to 87 percent.
Sen. Laura Fine, a Democrat from Glenview and bill sponsor, said it builds on past efforts to improve mental healthcare accessibility for all Illinoisans.
“This law gives people more opportunities and flexibility to receive necessary services,” she said.