103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2023 and 2024
HB3450

 

Introduced 2/17/2023, by Rep. Sonya M. Harper

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
305 ILCS 5/5-47 new

    Amends the Medical Assistance Article of the Illinois Public Aid Code. Requires the Department of Healthcare and Family Services to establish a 2-year pilot program to provide medically supportive food to medical assistance recipients through one or more food prescription programs operated by a participating managed care health plan with the goal of eliminating health disparities, improving health outcomes, and reducing rates of food and nutrition insecurity. Provides that under the pilot program, the Department shall provide medically supportive food coupons to medical assistance recipients who have a food prescription, issued by a licensed physician or health care provider under a participating managed care health plan, for medically supportive food as part of any treatment regimen for type 2 diabetes or prediabetes; hypertension; high-risk pregnancy; or some other specified condition. Provides that coupon holders may redeem their coupons at any participating food retailer and that farmers markets located in "food deserts" and grocery stores that accept Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits may participate in the pilot program as designated retailers that accept medically supportive food program coupons. Contains provisions concerning utilization controls, reporting requirements, and Department rules. Effective immediately.


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A BILL FOR

 

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1    AN ACT concerning public aid.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Illinois Public Aid Code is amended by
5adding Section 5-47 as follows:
 
6    (305 ILCS 5/5-47 new)
7    Sec. 5-47. Food prescription pilot program.
8    (a) Findings and legislative intent.
9    (1) It is the intent of the General Assembly to eliminate
10racial and ethnic health disparities, increase positive health
11outcomes, and reduce rates of food and nutrition insecurity
12for medical assistance recipients by establishing a 2-year
13food prescription pilot program. The objective of this pilot
14program is to encourage managed care health plans contracted
15with the Department to create "Food as Medicine" programs to
16address the obesity and diabetes epidemic. The pilot program
17shall provide food prescriptions to eligible medical
18assistance recipients who are enrolled in a managed care
19health plan and are medically considered at rising-risk
20because they have one or more specified chronic health
21conditions and are experiencing food insecurity, but they do
22not require extensive care coordination. A food prescription
23shall consist of medically supportive food used for the

 

 

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1prevention, reversal, or treatment of chronic health
2conditions, and may be paired with behavioral, cooking, or
3nutrition education, coaching, and counseling.
4    (2) The General Assembly finds that racial and ethnic
5health disparities have been exacerbated by the COVID-19
6pandemic. The federal Centers for Disease Control and
7Prevention overwhelmingly reports that most of those
8hospitalized or who die from COVID-19 have an underlying
9health condition. Chronic health conditions disproportionately
10impact communities of color, making them particularly
11vulnerable for adverse health outcomes from severe COVID-19,
12including hospitalization and death. By preventing, treating,
13and reversing their underlying chronic health conditions,
14medical assistance recipients, and especially members of
15populations who experience health disparities, may be less
16vulnerable not only to COVID-19, but other chronic illnesses.
17Moreover, it is the intent of the General Assembly to reduce
18racial health disparities and generate long-term cost savings
19to the health care system as a result of the implementation of
20the 2-year food prescription pilot program.
21    (b) Definitions. As used in this Section:
22    "Eligible medical assistance recipient" means an
23individual who is eligible to participate in the pilot program
24and is enrolled in a participating managed care health plan.
25    "Food prescription" means a specific dosage of medically
26supportive food, which is prescribed by a managed care health

 

 

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1plan, that is based on evidence-based practices that
2demonstrate the prevention, treatment, or reversal of specific
3chronic health conditions.
4    "Managed care health plan" means a managed care health
5plan or managed care organization contracted with the
6Department that operates a food prescription program in
7accordance with this Section.
8    "Medically supportive food" means any nutrient-rich whole
9food, including any fruit, vegetable, legume, nut, seed, whole
10grain, seafood, and lean animal protein, used for the
11prevention, treatment, or reversal of a specific chronic
12health condition.
13    "Pilot program" means the 2-year pilot program established
14in this Section.
15    (c) The Department shall establish a 2-year pilot program
16to provide medically supportive food to medical assistance
17recipients through one or more food prescription programs
18operated by a participating managed care health plan with the
19goal of eliminating health disparities, improving health
20outcomes, and reducing rates of food and nutrition insecurity.
21Under the pilot program, the Department shall provide
22medically supportive food coupons to medical assistance
23recipients who have a food prescription, issued by a licensed
24physician or health care provider under a managed care health
25plan, for medically supportive food as part of any treatment
26regimen for one of the following chronic health conditions:

 

 

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1        (1) Depression or anxiety.
2        (2) Type 2 diabetes or prediabetes.
3        (3) Hypertension, which is also referred to as high
4    blood pressure.
5        (4) Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.
6        (5) Overweight, obesity, or severe obesity, as
7    measured by a person's body mass index (BMI). For purposes
8    of this paragraph, "overweight" means a person's BMI is
9    between 25 kg/m2 and 30 kg/m2. "Obesity" means a person's
10    BMI is 30 kg/m2 or higher, but under 40 kg/m2, and "severe
11    obesity" means that a person's BMI is 40 kg/m2 or higher.
12        (6) Dyslipidemia, hypertriglyceridemia, or low
13    high-density lipoprotein cholesterol.
14        (7) High-risk pregnancy, including gestational
15    diabetes.
16    Coupon holders may redeem their coupons at any
17participating food retailer. Farmers markets located in "food
18deserts" and grocery stores that accept Supplemental Nutrition
19Assistance Program benefits may participate in the pilot
20program as designated retailers that accept medically
21supportive food program coupons. The Department may provide
22incentives to solicit food retailers to participate in the
23program and may adopt any rules necessary to implement the
24program.
25    (d) The Department, in consultation with stakeholders, may
26establish utilization controls, with respect to the limitation

 

 

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1on food prescriptions, including how these food prescriptions
2may be restricted as to a set number within a specified
3timeframe. In developing these utilization controls under the
4pilot program, the Department and managed care health plans
5shall consider the nutritional needs, food security, and
6health status of a medical assistance recipient.
7    (e) Upon the completion of the pilot program, and to the
8extent it can be determined, the Department shall evaluate the
9impact of the pilot program, including, but not limited to,
10relevant health outcome and health disparities data, and the
11pilot program's impact on quality and performance improvement
12metrics, medication adherence, medical appointment attendance,
13and member satisfaction scores. The Department shall prepare
14these findings, including its recommendation on expanding the
15pilot program on a statewide-basis or for an extended period
16of time, into a finalized report, and shall submit this report
17to the General Assembly by January 1, 2026, or within 12 months
18after the end of the pilot program, whichever is sooner.
19    (f) The Department may adopt any rules necessary to
20implement this Section.
 
21    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
22becoming law.