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telehealth

SPRINGFIELD – To promote health care equity and reduce health care disparities in Illinois, State Senator Tom Cullerton (D- Villa Park) is supporting a measure to expand telehealth services that will make it easier for patients to meet with their doctors.

“One thing the COVID-19 pandemic showed us is that there are so many things we can do remotely, including meeting with our doctors,” said Cullerton, who is a co-sponsor of the measure. “Expanding telehealth services will remove many barriers to health care access that many people face, like taking time off work or not being able to find transportation.”

Telehealth services were largely used during the COVID-19 pandemic due to emergency federal and state orders. House Bill 3308 will maintain and expand telehealth services by requiring insurance companies to utilize similar billing processes for both in-person and telehealth services.

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holmes mrsa 053021SPRINGFIELD – Senator Linda Holmes (D-Aurora) moved legislation this week that would expand workers’ compensation for firefighters and EMTs to cover a potentially deadly, antibiotic-resistant staph infection that poses a particularly high risk to first responders.

House Bill 3662 would amend the Workers’ Compensation Act. It presumes that these professionals would be exposed to MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) in the course of their employment.

“The job of a firefighter or EMT includes administering up-close care to people who may be MRSA carriers or infected with MRSA,” Holmes said. “This puts first responders at increased risk for MRSA contamination—it’s common sense that a MRSA infection should be covered under workers’ compensation policies.”

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gillespie 053021SPRINGFIELD – As classes resume in-person, State Senator Ann Gillespie (D-Arlington Heights) passed legislation to ban the abuse of students with restraints and seclusion rooms in schools.

“This legislation protects all students, particularly the most vulnerable, from these harmful practices,” Gillespie said. “I am grateful to all our partners that put in years-long work to keep students safe.”

Current law allows school staff to isolate a student if they pose a danger to themselves or others. However, a Chicago Tribune and ProPublica Illinois investigation revealed that isolation rooms are often used as a punishment for refusing to do classwork, swearing and other behavior that does not pose a threat to safety.

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Sen. Adriane Johnson

SPRINGFIELD – To allow individuals who have overcome addiction to put their pasts behind them and move forward, State Senator Adriane Johnson (D-Buffalo Grove) has sponsored a measure to prohibit life insurance companies from denying coverage or increasing rates solely because an individual has undergone treatment for substance abuse.

“It takes strength, perseverance and resolve to seek treatment for an addiction,” Johnson said. “Life insurance companies shouldn’t punish those who have chosen to change their lives for the better.”

Johnson’s plan would prohibit a life insurance company from denying or limiting coverage or charging higher rates based solely on whether an individual has participated in a substance use treatment or recovery support program more than five years prior to application.

More Articles …

  1. Lightford passes legislation to remove “Negro” from Illinois law
  2. Peters’ measure limiting law enforcement intimidation clears Senate
  3. Anti-opioid death “Alex’s Law” passes General Assembly
  4. Glowiak Hilton plan ensures quality mental health resources for students

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