Illinois Legislature Overrides Governor’s Veto Of Medicaid Coverage For Heroin Treatment

On September 9, 2015, the Illinois legislature overrode the governor’s August 24 veto of Medicaid coverage for heroin treatment; with this action, the Illinois Heroin Crisis Act became law. The law allows pharmacists to dispense naloxone, strengthens the state’s Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP) to provide comprehensive information to physicians and pharmacists, and mandates that the state’s fee-for-service (FFS) and medical assistance Medicaid programs cover all forms of medication assisted treatment (MAT) of alcohol or opioid dependence, without utilization controls and prior authorization requirements.

The provisions of the Illinois Heroin Crisis Act were effective on or . . .