SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS (November 21, 2019) — Legislation capping out-of-pocket costs of prescription insulin for those with state-regulated health-care plans passed the Illinois House on November 13 with the support of State Representative Tony McCombie (71st-Savanna).
“The out-of-pocket costs for managing diabetes is hitting families too hard,” said Rep McCombie. “In some cases, families are having to pay thousands of dollars per month. Under this bill, we cap the monthly co-pay for state-regulated plans at $100 per month.”
Senate Bill 667 passed the Illinois House on November 13 by a vote of 100-13-1. However, it did not pass without a fair amount of criticism of alleged price-gouging by insulin manufacturers. “Unfortunately, this legislation only helps the approximately 20% of insulin users in Illinois — those insured under state-regulated health care plans. Manufacturers have allegedly artificially driven up the price of insulin in some cases; price-gouging an extremely vulnerable population. I urge action by the Illinois Attorney General and the Federal Government to investigate these claims and take appropriate action,” Rep McCombie went on to say.
Governor JB Pritzker is expected to sign the measure into law now that it has passed both the Illinois Senate and the Illinois House.
For more information on this or other state issues, call Rep McCombie’s office at (815) 632-7384 or visit her website at repmccombie.com.
