SPRINGFIELD – To protect patients and providers in the future, State Senator Adriane Johnson has advanced legislation that would remove hormonal medications such as testosterone and estrogen from the Illinois Prescription Monitoring Program.
“A patient’s medical information is deeply personal, and protecting it is essential to preserving trust between individuals and their healthcare providers,” said Johnson (D-Buffalo Grove). “Without that trust, people are less likely to seek the care they need.”
Intended to prevent patients from going from one doctor to another to get multiple prescriptions for powerful and addictive pain medications, the Illinois Prescription Monitoring System collects controlled substance prescription records from pharmacies. The data is provided to authorized individuals for the purpose of clinical care, regulation of professional practice, research and evaluation and law enforcement.
Testosterone was made a controlled substance in the 1990s to regulate the distribution of the hormone to prevent its misuse by athletes. Johnson’s measure would purge the program of existing information concerning the prescribing or dispensing of testosterone on or before Jan. 1, 2027 and would ensure no further records would be created or maintained.
In addition, the measure would add mifepristone, misoprostol, GnRH analogues and estrogen to a list of prescriptions that are exempt from disclosure, despite not currently being controlled substances. Louisiana has classified mifepristone and misoprostol as Schedule IV controlled substances due to their use in medicated abortions, however the medications are also used for miscarriage management and postpartum hemorrhage.
“Health care decisions, including hormone replacement therapy, should remain between patients and their providers—not subject to tracking or surveillance,” Johnson said. “Respecting that privacy ensures individuals can access care without fear or stigma.”
House Bill 4834 passed the Senate Executive Committee on Wednesday.
