A House committee signed off Thursday on a proposal to lower the state’s cap on the out-of-pockets costs for insulin to $35. [Health News Illinois]

The House’s Prescription Drug Affordability & Accessibility Committee unanimously approved a bill by Rep. Jenn Ladisch Douglass, D-Elmhurst, that would update a 2020 law that caps out-of-pocket costs for insulin at $100 for a 30-day supply for patients who have commercial insurance plans regulated by the state.

Unlike the previously approved plan, the bill now tasks the Department of Central Management Services with providing participants with an identification card to show they qualify for the program. The agency would create the guidelines for who will be eligible for the program.

That latter provision gave pause to Rep. Dan Caulkins, R-Decatur, who questioned why lawmakers would not set the guidelines for the program, as well as how individuals will know if they are eligible.

Ladisch Douglass said she expects providers, insurers and Medicaid managed care organizations to inform individuals if they are eligible for the program.

                                                                   ###