Illinois bill would expand insurance coverage for diabetes treatments

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - A proposed bill in the Illinois state legislature aims to broaden insurance coverage for all forms of diabetes, permitting family physicians to prescribe "Continuous Glucose Monitors" at no expense to patients.

Senate Bill 3414, if passed, would extend the authority to prescribe these monitors beyond endocrinologists. The initiative aligns with the current clinical practice recommendations of the American Diabetes Association.

"The whole philosophy behind the (Continuous Glucose Monitors) is that you're going to know your blood sugar in real-time. You're going to know an alarm's going to go off if it's too low, if it's too high. But you're also going to have that data day by day of how often your blood sugar is in range, and what the patterns are for when it's too high or too low is just incredibly helpful," said Dr. Emma Daisy, President of the Illinois Academy of Family Physicians.

The bill secured unanimous approval in the state Senate and is now under consideration in the Illinois General Assembly, where it has garnered support from more than three dozen co-sponsors.