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1
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, Psychotropic medications play an essential role
3 in the treatment of persons with serious mental illnesses; and
 
4     WHEREAS, Thousands of persons with serious mental
5 illnesses receive psychotropic medications under the auspices
6 of the Medicaid program operated by the Department of
7 Healthcare and Family Services; and
 
8     WHEREAS, The Department of Healthcare and Family Services
9 has adopted a policy of restricting access to three important
10 anti-psychotic medications, Seroquel, Zyprexa and Risperdol
11 Consta, used to treat schizophrenia and other serious mental
12 illnesses by requiring physicians to obtain prior
13 authorization from the Department before these medications are
14 prescribed; and
 
15     WHEREAS, The Department of Healthcare and Family Services
16 has imposed these restrictions with the sole purpose of cutting
17 costs; and
 
18     WHEREAS, No one who testified at the sole hearing conducted
19 by the Department of Healthcare and Family Services concerning
20 its proposal to restrict access to antipsychotic medications
21 supported the Department's proposal; and
 
22     WHEREAS, Despite the requirements of 305 ILCS 5/5-5.12 (d),
23 the Department of Healthcare and Family Services has not
24 conducted a study of the effects on patient care of requiring
25 physicians to obtain prior authorization before prescribing
26 Seroquel, Zyprexa, or Risperdol Consta for the treatment of
27 serious mental illnesses; and
 
28     WHEREAS, The prior authorization requirements imposed by
29 the Department are extremely burdensome and time consuming for

 

 

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1 the physicians who treat Medicaid patients; thus, requiring
2 prior authorization for medications effectively denies
3 patients access to such medications; and
 
4     WHEREAS, The clinical effect and side effects of each
5 medication used for the treatment of schizophrenia and other
6 serious mental illnesses vary substantially among the persons
7 treated with these medication; and
 
8     WHEREAS, Many persons who are on these medications have
9 already tried all or most of the other medications available to
10 treat these illnesses; and
 
11     WHEREAS, Thousands of persons in Illinois are being
12 successfully treated with Seroquel, Zyprexa, or Risperdol
13 Consta; and
 
14     WHEREAS, The Department of Healthcare and Family Services'
15 new policy restricts access to Seroquel, Zyprexa, or Risperdol
16 Consta for even those persons currently being successfully
17 treated with these medications; and
 
18     WHEREAS, No clinical judgment supports changing persons
19 being successfully treated with an antipsychotic medication to
20 a different antipsychotic medication; and
 
21     WHEREAS, Persons with serious mental illnesses who are
22 denied appropriate medications frequently become seriously
23 ill, require expensive hospitalization, lose employment,
24 become homeless, and disrupt their own lives and the lives of
25 their families, friends, and communities; and
 
26     WHEREAS, The Department of Healthcare and Family Services'
27 new policy denying persons with serious mental illnesses
28 appropriate medications will costs State, county, and
29 municipal taxpayers more money than it saves; and
 

 

 

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1     WHEREAS, There are many other ways for the Department of
2 Healthcare and Family Services to obtain cost savings in the
3 Medicaid program without having a negative effect on the care
4 of people with serious mental illnesses and their families,
5 friends, and communities; therefore, be it
 
6     RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL
7 ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
8 CONCURRING HEREIN, that the Department of Healthcare and Family
9 Services should rescind its policy of requiring prior
10 authorization for Zyprexa, Seroquel, and Risperdol Consta; and
11 be it further
 
12     RESOLVED, That the Department of Healthcare and Family
13 Services not impose restrictions on access to psychotropic
14 medications unless such restrictions are based upon an
15 independent clinical judgment; and be it further
 
16     RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be delivered to
17 the Director of Healthcare and Family Services.