Diabetes patients will get some financial relief at the turn of the calendar year. Senate Bill 667, sponsored by 48th District State Senator Andy Manar and Chicago State Representative Will Guzzardi made Illinois the second state in the nation to cap out-of-pocket insulin costs at $100 per month for all patients using a state regulated insurance plan, regardless of the supply they require. The law is set to go into effect on January 1st.
According to a press release from Manar, the bill is scheduled to effect the nearly 1.3 million Illinois residences living with diabetes. The new law also requires the Departments of Insurance, Human Services, and Healthcare and Family Services to jointly issue an “insulin pricing report” to the public that details findings on insulin pricing practices and recommendations to control and prevent overpricing of prescription insulin drugs.
Manar worked alongside advocacy groups, including Insulin for All and AARP, to build a grassroots advocacy campaign to generate statewide support for the measure, which led to overwhelming bipartisan support in both chambers of the legislature and Governor J.B. Pritzker signing the bill into law.