(The Center Square) – Legislation in the Illinois Capitol could allow for more lax rules regarding some hormone medications. Republicans say the bill was quietly snuck through with vague language that would allow pharmacists to prescribe a 12-month supply of hormone therapy medication to minors.
HB 5492, introduced by Rep. Katie Stuart, D-Collinsville, passed an Illinois House committee earlier this month. If passed into law, the bill would require all health insurance policies in the state to cover a full 12-month supply of prescription hormone therapy treatment that is dispensed in whole at a pharmacy.
Excluding controlled substances, pharmacists would be allowed to dispense a full year’s supply of hormone therapy treatments at a patient’s request, so long as they have a prescription lasting 12 months.
Presenting the bill to the House Insurance Committee, Stuart said the intention is to reduce frequent trips to the pharmacy for women prescribed the treatment, which is typically given to women going through menopause and younger women with particularly painful periods.
“All this will do is to make sure that health insurance plans allow for the purchase of up to a 12-month supply at a time. Currently right now, your health insurance may force you to go once a month,” Stuart said. “There’s really no change in cost to anybody.”
A concern raised by Rep. Adam Niemerg, R-Dieterich, is that the language of the bill would allow for minors to access hormone replacement and puberty blocker medications.
“I think it’s very important to everybody in this room and everybody in this committee to know what you’re doing here. You’re pushing gender hormone treatment and puberty blockers on young children and that’s wrong,” Niemerg said.
Stuart spoke over Niemerg.
“I’m making sure that women going through menopause can get the medication that helps them,” Stuart said.
The bill states that a drug must be approved by the U.S. FDA, but does not contain language regarding the prescribed purpose of such drugs. While puberty blocking medications would fall into the medications the bill could allow, their use is considered off-label when used in the gender confirmation process.
In a release from the House Republican Organization on Monday, Stuart was accused of purposefully obscuring the nature of the bill.
“Rep. Katie Stuart knew exactly how radical this proposal was, which is why she tried not to mention that her bill would allow children to obtain puberty blockers so they could change their gender,” said the House Republican Organization.
Before the committee voted to pass the bill, Stuart reiterated the intended purpose of the bill.
“This will be very important for women at the upper age spectrum dealing with menopause. I think it’s important to note that there are young girls that suffer from debilitating periods that keep them out of school for days at a time. We are also going to be able to help those young girls to make sure that they can get themselves to school,” said Stuart.
The bill passed by a vote of 10-9, with the stipulation it would return to the committee for additional hearings as it is amended. Stuart did not say if any amendments would address aforementioned concerns.
