Bill Text: IL HB3450 | 2023-2024 | 103rd General Assembly | Introduced

---

Bill Title: Amends the Medical Assistance Article of the Illinois Public Aid Code. Requires the Department of Healthcare and Family Services to establish a 2-year pilot program to provide medically supportive food to medical assistance recipients through one or more food prescription programs operated by a participating managed care health plan with the goal of eliminating health disparities, improving health outcomes, and reducing rates of food and nutrition insecurity. Provides that under the pilot program, the Department shall provide medically supportive food coupons to medical assistance recipients who have a food prescription, issued by a licensed physician or health care provider under a participating managed care health plan, for medically supportive food as part of any treatment regimen for type 2 diabetes or prediabetes; hypertension; high-risk pregnancy; or some other specified condition. Provides that coupon holders may redeem their coupons at any participating food retailer and that farmers markets located in "food deserts" and grocery stores that accept Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits may participate in the pilot program as designated retailers that accept medically supportive food program coupons. Contains provisions concerning utilization controls, reporting requirements, and Department rules. Effective immediately.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 4-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-05-31 - House Committee Amendment No. 1 Rule 19(c) / Re-referred to Rules Committee [HB3450 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2023-HB3450-Introduced.html

---

103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2023 and 2024 HB3450 Introduced , by Rep. Sonya M. Harper SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
305 ILCS 5/5-47 new
Amends the Medical Assistance Article of the Illinois Public Aid Code. Requires the Department of Healthcare and Family Services to establish a 2-year pilot program to provide medically supportive food to medical assistance recipients through one or more food prescription programs operated by a participating managed care health plan with the goal of eliminating health disparities, improving health outcomes, and reducing rates of food and nutrition insecurity. Provides that under the pilot program, the Department shall provide medically supportive food coupons to medical assistance recipients who have a food prescription, issued by a licensed physician or health care provider under a participating managed care health plan, for medically supportive food as part of any treatment regimen for type 2 diabetes or prediabetes; hypertension; high-risk pregnancy; or some other specified condition. Provides that coupon holders may redeem their coupons at any participating food retailer and that farmers markets located in "food deserts" and grocery stores that accept Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits may participate in the pilot program as designated retailers that accept medically supportive food program coupons. Contains provisions concerning utilization controls, reporting requirements, and Department rules. Effective immediately.
LRB103 26160 KTG 52518 b
A BILL FOR
HB3450 LRB103 26160 KTG 52518 b
AN ACT concerning public aid.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
Section 5. The Illinois Public Aid Code is amended by
adding Section 5-47 as follows:
(305 ILCS 5/5-47 new)
Sec. 5-47. Food prescription pilot program.
(a) Findings and legislative intent.
(1) It is the intent of the General Assembly to eliminate
racial and ethnic health disparities, increase positive health
outcomes, and reduce rates of food and nutrition insecurity
for medical assistance recipients by establishing a 2-year
food prescription pilot program. The objective of this pilot
program is to encourage managed care health plans contracted
with the Department to create "Food as Medicine" programs to
address the obesity and diabetes epidemic. The pilot program
shall provide food prescriptions to eligible medical
assistance recipients who are enrolled in a managed care
health plan and are medically considered at rising-risk
because they have one or more specified chronic health
conditions and are experiencing food insecurity, but they do
not require extensive care coordination. A food prescription
shall consist of medically supportive food used for the

HB3450 - 2 - LRB103 26160 KTG 52518 b
prevention, reversal, or treatment of chronic health
conditions, and may be paired with behavioral, cooking, or
nutrition education, coaching, and counseling.
(2) The General Assembly finds that racial and ethnic
health disparities have been exacerbated by the COVID-19
pandemic. The federal Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention overwhelmingly reports that most of those
hospitalized or who die from COVID-19 have an underlying
health condition. Chronic health conditions disproportionately
impact communities of color, making them particularly
vulnerable for adverse health outcomes from severe COVID-19,
including hospitalization and death. By preventing, treating,
and reversing their underlying chronic health conditions,
medical assistance recipients, and especially members of
populations who experience health disparities, may be less
vulnerable not only to COVID-19, but other chronic illnesses.
Moreover, it is the intent of the General Assembly to reduce
racial health disparities and generate long-term cost savings
to the health care system as a result of the implementation of
the 2-year food prescription pilot program.
(b) Definitions. As used in this Section:
"Eligible medical assistance recipient" means an
individual who is eligible to participate in the pilot program
and is enrolled in a participating managed care health plan.
"Food prescription" means a specific dosage of medically
supportive food, which is prescribed by a managed care health

HB3450 - 3 - LRB103 26160 KTG 52518 b
plan, that is based on evidence-based practices that
demonstrate the prevention, treatment, or reversal of specific
chronic health conditions.
"Managed care health plan" means a managed care health
plan or managed care organization contracted with the
Department that operates a food prescription program in
accordance with this Section.
"Medically supportive food" means any nutrient-rich whole
food, including any fruit, vegetable, legume, nut, seed, whole
grain, seafood, and lean animal protein, used for the
prevention, treatment, or reversal of a specific chronic
health condition.
"Pilot program" means the 2-year pilot program established
in this Section.
(c) The Department shall establish a 2-year pilot program
to provide medically supportive food to medical assistance
recipients through one or more food prescription programs
operated by a participating managed care health plan with the
goal of eliminating health disparities, improving health
outcomes, and reducing rates of food and nutrition insecurity.
Under the pilot program, the Department shall provide
medically supportive food coupons to medical assistance
recipients who have a food prescription, issued by a licensed
physician or health care provider under a managed care health
plan, for medically supportive food as part of any treatment
regimen for one of the following chronic health conditions:

HB3450 - 4 - LRB103 26160 KTG 52518 b
(1) Depression or anxiety.
(2) Type 2 diabetes or prediabetes.
(3) Hypertension, which is also referred to as high
blood pressure.
(4) Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.
(5) Overweight, obesity, or severe obesity, as
measured by a person's body mass index (BMI). For purposes
of this paragraph, "overweight" means a person's BMI is
between 25 kg/m2 and 30 kg/m2. "Obesity" means a person's
BMI is 30 kg/m2 or higher, but under 40 kg/m2, and "severe
obesity" means that a person's BMI is 40 kg/m2 or higher.
(6) Dyslipidemia, hypertriglyceridemia, or low
high-density lipoprotein cholesterol.
(7) High-risk pregnancy, including gestational
diabetes.
Coupon holders may redeem their coupons at any
participating food retailer. Farmers markets located in "food
deserts" and grocery stores that accept Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program benefits may participate in the pilot
program as designated retailers that accept medically
supportive food program coupons. The Department may provide
incentives to solicit food retailers to participate in the
program and may adopt any rules necessary to implement the
program.
(d) The Department, in consultation with stakeholders, may
establish utilization controls, with respect to the limitation

HB3450 - 5 - LRB103 26160 KTG 52518 b
on food prescriptions, including how these food prescriptions
may be restricted as to a set number within a specified
timeframe. In developing these utilization controls under the
pilot program, the Department and managed care health plans
shall consider the nutritional needs, food security, and
health status of a medical assistance recipient.
(e) Upon the completion of the pilot program, and to the
extent it can be determined, the Department shall evaluate the
impact of the pilot program, including, but not limited to,
relevant health outcome and health disparities data, and the
pilot program's impact on quality and performance improvement
metrics, medication adherence, medical appointment attendance,
and member satisfaction scores. The Department shall prepare
these findings, including its recommendation on expanding the
pilot program on a statewide-basis or for an extended period
of time, into a finalized report, and shall submit this report
to the General Assembly by January 1, 2026, or within 12 months
after the end of the pilot program, whichever is sooner.
(f) The Department may adopt any rules necessary to
implement this Section.
Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
becoming law.