These new Illinois laws could impact your health and wellness in 2025

Nearly 300 new Illinois laws will go into effect on New Year’s Day, and dozens could have a direct impact on your health and wellness in 2025.

Illinois lawmakers are requiring insurance companies to cover numerous procedures and to limit the costs of prescription drugs in a variety of ways.

Bills covering reproductive health care will also go into effect, and lawmakers even paved the way for students to have access to “relaxation activities” during school hours.

Here is a rundown of more than 50 laws that will impact health and wellness in the new year.

Insurance Changes:

HB 2350 – Requires companies in Illinois that provide health insurance to cover annual prostate cancer screenings, cervical smears or Pap smears for all insured individuals, regardless of gender.

HB 2443 – Requires that new insurance plans must provide coverage for medically necessary hearing instruments and related services for all individuals, not just those under the age of 18.

HB 3639 – Requires insurance companies to limit the total price of a twin-pack of medically necessary epinephrine injectors to $60 or less.

HB 4460 – Requires insurance programs to provide coverage for mental health therapy services to police officers, members of self-insured fire protection districts, and any spouse or partner of members of those fields.

HB 4789 – Dental insurance companies will be prohibited from denying claims on procedures that were subject to prior authorization unless specific criteria are met.

HB 5258 – requires insurance companies to make dependent coverage available to qualifying parents or stepparents of the insured if they meet the definition of a “qualifying relative” under federal law.

HB 5395 – A wide-ranging medical insurance reform bill that prohibits companies from denying claims and persuading patients to opt for low-cost alternatives for treatments. It also outlaws “step therapy,” where patients have to use cheaper drugs before being approved for more expensive ones. The bill also prohibits the sale of limited-duration medical insurance coverage that doesn’t meet minimum standards established by the federal Affordable Care Act.  

SB 2195 – Requires insurance companies to cover a prosthetic or custom orthotic device that is “medically necessary for the enrollee to perform physical activities, such as running, biking, swimming and lifting weights.”

SB 2641 – Insurance companies will be required to show that each in-network hospital has at least one radiologist, pathologist, anesthesiologist and ER physician as a preferred provider.

SB 2697 – Requires insurance and Medicaid to cover genetic cancer screening and testing for high-risk patients.

SB 2735 – Bill requires that no insurer, health organization or managed care plan should charge a fee for physicians to receive reimbursements for services provided to insured patients.

SB 2744 – Requires insurance companies to cover vaccine administration fees, regardless of the type of provider administering the vaccine, without copay or deductible.

SB 3203 – Insurance companies cannot deny coverage for life-saving inhalers, and must establish a cap of $25 for a 30-day inhaler supply.

SB 3318 – Insurance plans for state employees will be required to cover all FDA-approved treatments of Alzheimer’s disease, as well as medications prescribed to slow the disease.

SB 3351 – Elderly parents of adult children with disabilities will now have the right to live in larger subsidized housing with more than one bedroom.

SB 3538 – Certain insurance plans will be required to cover mental health counseling for first responders.

SB 3599 – Insurance companies must cover necessary “mobile integrated health care services” for frequent users of emergency hospital care.

Reproductive Health:

HB 4819 – The Department of Corrections will be required to build lactation rooms for employees in their facilities.

HB 4867 – Under the Illinois Human Rights Act, a person has freedom from unlawful discrimination in making reproductive health decisions.

HB 5142 – The “Birth Equity Act” provisions pertaining to requiring some insurance policies to cover services of doulas and midwives will take effect on Jan. 1. Other provisions of the bill will not take effect until Jan. 2026.

HB 5643 – Private insurance and Medicaid are now required to cover at-home, urine-based pregnancy tests.

Regulations on Procedures:

HB 4271 – Illinois residents age 17 or older can have their blood typed if the donation is completely voluntary, without requiring adult permission.

HB 4357 – Establishes protocols for medical spas to perform “non-ablative laser hair removal” without a doctor on the premises.

HB 5530 – Allows pharmacists to administer “long-acting injectables for mental health or substance use disorders” with a prescription.

SB 0860 – Allows individuals with mental health or developmental disabilities living in care facilities to self-administer medications if a nurse trainer signs off on it.

SB 3779 – Authorizes social workers to administer opioid antagonists like naloxone after receiving proper training.

Other:

HB 2601 – Makes changes to custom slaughter of meat products in Illinois, requiring products to be plainly marked as “NOT FOR SALE.”

HB 3046 – Allows the state of Illinois to adopt rules allowing the use of treated wastewater for drinking, and allows treated wastewater to be used for irrigation purposes.

HB 3521 – Leadership at all hospital affiliates, instead of just the hospital’s main campus, to report allegations of abuse within 24 hours of receipt.

HB 4848 – Requires trash transportation vehicles to be covered to prevent windblown garbage.

HB 4891 – Prohibits dentists from establishing third-party financing for a patient.

HB 4903 – The state’s Board of Education, in coordination with IDPH, compile resources for schools related to indoor air quality.

HB 5047 – Extends the amount of time nurses can practice in Illinois while waiting for review of their licensing applications.

HB 5087 – Physical therapy services can now be delivered via telehealth platforms.

HB 5394 – Requires schools to provide all teachers, administrators and other school personnel to be informed of emergency procedures, including the Heimlich maneuver, hands-only CPR, and use of the school district’s automated external defibrillator.

HB 5405 – Any entity or hospital funded by NIH must adopt policies to promote the inclusion of underrepresented demographic groups in any clinical trials it conducts.

SB 1087 – A new informational campaign about the dangers of mold will be produced by the Illinois Department of Public Health.

SB 1089 – All state-owned buildings will be required to install and maintain an adult changing station.

SB 2442 – Hospitals will be prohibited from billing uninsured patients if they qualify for free care under the Hospital Uninsured Patient Discount Act, and will require hospitals to provide the patient with information on insurance they may be qualified for.

SB 2643 – An extensive bill related to the custody of human remains, requiring that the deceased individual’s body, body bag and any body part or organ shall be affixed with a unique identifier, and that a chain-of-custody be established for all human remains.

SB 2644 – Illinois officials will create a registry of Physician Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment Forms describing a patient’s preferred medical treatment.

SB 2662 – Manufacturers of e-cigarettes can no longer market the devices in ways that are “likely” to cause a parent or guardian to mistake them for a non-tobacco product.

SB 2745 – Requires retailers who sell alcohol to post a sign with the name and phone number of an authorized state alcoholism and substance abuse helpline.

SB 2872 – Allows schools to provide “relaxation activities” to students for at least 20 minutes per week. These activities can include mindfulness training, yoga, stretching, meditation, breathing exercises, quiet time, walking and other stress-reducing activities.

SB 2918 – A police officer cannot be fired for a mental or physical disability that is the basis for their benefits application under the state’s pension code for public safety officers.

SB 2933 – This bill makes it unlawful for a consumer reporting agency to create a report containing any adverse information that the agency knows relates to medical debt incurred by a consumer, or collection action against a consumer to collect medical debt. The bill also makes it illegal for agencies to maintain files on consumers containing information related to medical debt.

SB 3116 – Requires Illinois agencies to develop training programs for first responders to access and use medical information stored in cell phones in the event of an emergency.

SB 3201 – Requires police and correctional officers to undergo training on autism-informed responses.

SB 3277 – Requires IDPH to develop protocols and best practices to provide care for Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

SB 3571 – School districts must have present at a school during the day, and during school-sponsored extracurricular activities, one AED device and one or more trained AED users.

SB 3751 – Creates a Health Outcomes Review Board to review and report data on “equitable health care outcomes, decreased costs and ensuring quality health care.”