Full Text of SJR0055 94th General Assembly
SJ0055 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
|
|
|
SJ0055 |
|
LRB094 14987 LCT 50081 r |
|
| 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 |
|
|
|
SJ0055 |
- 2 - |
LRB094 14987 LCT 50081 r |
|
| 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 |
|
|
|
SJ0055 |
- 3 - |
LRB094 14987 LCT 50081 r |
|
| 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.
|
|