Bill Text: IL HB0076 | 2015-2016 | 99th General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Amends the Illinois Insurance Code. Provides that each insured residing in an area designated as a mental health professional shortage area may obtain services from professionals licensed under the Illinois Alcoholism and Other Drug Abuse and Dependency Act through the use of telehealth services.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 4-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2015-04-24 - Rule 19(a) / Re-referred to Rules Committee [HB0076 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2015-HB0076-Introduced.html

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99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2015 and 2016 HB0076 Introduced , by Rep. Lou Lang SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
215 ILCS 5/370c from Ch. 73, par. 982c
Amends the Illinois Insurance Code. Provides that each insured residing in an area designated as a mental health professional shortage area may obtain services from professionals licensed under the Illinois Alcoholism and Other Drug Abuse and Dependency Act through the use of telehealth services.
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A BILL FOR
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AN ACT concerning regulation.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
Section 5. The Illinois Insurance Code is amended by
changing Section 370c as follows:
(215 ILCS 5/370c) (from Ch. 73, par. 982c)
Sec. 370c. Mental and emotional disorders.
(a) (1) On and after the effective date of this amendatory
Act of the 97th General Assembly, every insurer which amends,
delivers, issues, or renews group accident and health policies
providing coverage for hospital or medical treatment or
services for illness on an expense-incurred basis shall offer
to the applicant or group policyholder subject to the insurer's
standards of insurability, coverage for reasonable and
necessary treatment and services for mental, emotional or
nervous disorders or conditions, other than serious mental
illnesses as defined in item (2) of subsection (b), consistent
with the parity requirements of Section 370c.1 of this Code.
(2) Each insured that is covered for mental, emotional,
nervous, or substance use disorders or conditions shall be free
to select the physician licensed to practice medicine in all
its branches, licensed clinical psychologist, licensed
clinical social worker, licensed clinical professional

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counselor, licensed marriage and family therapist, licensed
speech-language pathologist, or other licensed or certified
professional at a program licensed pursuant to the Illinois
Alcoholism and Other Drug Abuse and Dependency Act of his
choice to treat such disorders, and the insurer shall pay the
covered charges of such physician licensed to practice medicine
in all its branches, licensed clinical psychologist, licensed
clinical social worker, licensed clinical professional
counselor, licensed marriage and family therapist, licensed
speech-language pathologist, or other licensed or certified
professional at a program licensed pursuant to the Illinois
Alcoholism and Other Drug Abuse and Dependency Act up to the
limits of coverage, provided (i) the disorder or condition
treated is covered by the policy, and (ii) the physician,
licensed psychologist, licensed clinical social worker,
licensed clinical professional counselor, licensed marriage
and family therapist, licensed speech-language pathologist, or
other licensed or certified professional at a program licensed
pursuant to the Illinois Alcoholism and Other Drug Abuse and
Dependency Act is authorized to provide said services under the
statutes of this State and in accordance with accepted
principles of his profession.
Each insured residing in an area designated as a mental
health professional shortage area by the U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services may obtain services from the licensed
professionals described in this item (2) through the use of

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telehealth services as defined in Section 356z.22 of this Code.
(3) Insofar as this Section applies solely to licensed
clinical social workers, licensed clinical professional
counselors, licensed marriage and family therapists, licensed
speech-language pathologists, and other licensed or certified
professionals at programs licensed pursuant to the Illinois
Alcoholism and Other Drug Abuse and Dependency Act, those
persons who may provide services to individuals shall do so
after the licensed clinical social worker, licensed clinical
professional counselor, licensed marriage and family
therapist, licensed speech-language pathologist, or other
licensed or certified professional at a program licensed
pursuant to the Illinois Alcoholism and Other Drug Abuse and
Dependency Act has informed the patient of the desirability of
the patient conferring with the patient's primary care
physician and the licensed clinical social worker, licensed
clinical professional counselor, licensed marriage and family
therapist, licensed speech-language pathologist, or other
licensed or certified professional at a program licensed
pursuant to the Illinois Alcoholism and Other Drug Abuse and
Dependency Act has provided written notification to the
patient's primary care physician, if any, that services are
being provided to the patient. That notification may, however,
be waived by the patient on a written form. Those forms shall
be retained by the licensed clinical social worker, licensed
clinical professional counselor, licensed marriage and family

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therapist, licensed speech-language pathologist, or other
licensed or certified professional at a program licensed
pursuant to the Illinois Alcoholism and Other Drug Abuse and
Dependency Act for a period of not less than 5 years.
(b) (1) An insurer that provides coverage for hospital or
medical expenses under a group policy of accident and health
insurance or health care plan amended, delivered, issued, or
renewed on or after the effective date of this amendatory Act
of the 97th General Assembly shall provide coverage under the
policy for treatment of serious mental illness and substance
use disorders consistent with the parity requirements of
Section 370c.1 of this Code. This subsection does not apply to
any group policy of accident and health insurance or health
care plan for any plan year of a small employer as defined in
Section 5 of the Illinois Health Insurance Portability and
Accountability Act.
(2) "Serious mental illness" means the following
psychiatric illnesses as defined in the most current edition of
the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) published by the
American Psychiatric Association:
(A) schizophrenia;
(B) paranoid and other psychotic disorders;
(C) bipolar disorders (hypomanic, manic, depressive,
and mixed);
(D) major depressive disorders (single episode or
recurrent);

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(E) schizoaffective disorders (bipolar or depressive);
(F) pervasive developmental disorders;
(G) obsessive-compulsive disorders;
(H) depression in childhood and adolescence;
(I) panic disorder;
(J) post-traumatic stress disorders (acute, chronic,
or with delayed onset); and
(K) anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa.
(2.5) "Substance use disorder" means the following mental
disorders as defined in the most current edition of the
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) published by the
American Psychiatric Association:
(A) substance abuse disorders;
(B) substance dependence disorders; and
(C) substance induced disorders.
(3) Unless otherwise prohibited by federal law and
consistent with the parity requirements of Section 370c.1 of
this Code, the reimbursing insurer, a provider of treatment of
serious mental illness or substance use disorder shall furnish
medical records or other necessary data that substantiate that
initial or continued treatment is at all times medically
necessary. An insurer shall provide a mechanism for the timely
review by a provider holding the same license and practicing in
the same specialty as the patient's provider, who is
unaffiliated with the insurer, jointly selected by the patient
(or the patient's next of kin or legal representative if the

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patient is unable to act for himself or herself), the patient's
provider, and the insurer in the event of a dispute between the
insurer and patient's provider regarding the medical necessity
of a treatment proposed by a patient's provider. If the
reviewing provider determines the treatment to be medically
necessary, the insurer shall provide reimbursement for the
treatment. Future contractual or employment actions by the
insurer regarding the patient's provider may not be based on
the provider's participation in this procedure. Nothing
prevents the insured from agreeing in writing to continue
treatment at his or her expense. When making a determination of
the medical necessity for a treatment modality for serious
mental illness or substance use disorder, an insurer must make
the determination in a manner that is consistent with the
manner used to make that determination with respect to other
diseases or illnesses covered under the policy, including an
appeals process. Medical necessity determinations for
substance use disorders shall be made in accordance with
appropriate patient placement criteria established by the
American Society of Addiction Medicine.
(4) A group health benefit plan amended, delivered, issued,
or renewed on or after the effective date of this amendatory
Act of the 97th General Assembly:
(A) shall provide coverage based upon medical
necessity for the treatment of mental illness and substance
use disorders consistent with the parity requirements of

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Section 370c.1 of this Code; provided, however, that in
each calendar year coverage shall not be less than the
following:
(i) 45 days of inpatient treatment; and
(ii) beginning on June 26, 2006 (the effective date
of Public Act 94-921), 60 visits for outpatient
treatment including group and individual outpatient
treatment; and
(iii) for plans or policies delivered, issued for
delivery, renewed, or modified after January 1, 2007
(the effective date of Public Act 94-906), 20
additional outpatient visits for speech therapy for
treatment of pervasive developmental disorders that
will be in addition to speech therapy provided pursuant
to item (ii) of this subparagraph (A); and
(B) may not include a lifetime limit on the number of
days of inpatient treatment or the number of outpatient
visits covered under the plan.
(C) (Blank).
(5) An issuer of a group health benefit plan may not count
toward the number of outpatient visits required to be covered
under this Section an outpatient visit for the purpose of
medication management and shall cover the outpatient visits
under the same terms and conditions as it covers outpatient
visits for the treatment of physical illness.
(6) An issuer of a group health benefit plan may provide or

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offer coverage required under this Section through a managed
care plan.
(7) (Blank).
(8) (Blank).
(9) With respect to substance use disorders, coverage for
inpatient treatment shall include coverage for treatment in a
residential treatment center licensed by the Department of
Public Health or the Department of Human Services, Division of
Alcoholism and Substance Abuse.
(c) This Section shall not be interpreted to require
coverage for speech therapy or other habilitative services for
those individuals covered under Section 356z.15 of this Code.
(Source: P.A. 96-328, eff. 8-11-09; 96-1000, eff. 7-2-10;
97-437, eff. 8-18-11.)