Illinois
State Facts
Deaths, or 70.8% of all overdose deaths in the year ending April 2025 involved opioids.¹
Claims, or 3.32% of all Medicare Part D claims were for opioids in 2023 – an average of 35 per prescriber.²
Opioid Prescriptions were written for every 100 persons in Illinois in 2023.³
the estimated total societal cost of opioid use disorder (OUD) in Illinois in 2024.⁴
Opioid Settlement Funds
National approved use: providing support for non-opioid pain treatment alternatives, including training providers to offer or refer to multi-modal, evidence-informed treatment of pain.
Member & Endorser Footprint
Co-Sponsors (119th)
Rep. Nikki Budzinski (D-IL-13)
Rep. Robin Kelly (D-IL-2)
Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)
Passed Relevant Legislation
SB 1238
SB 1238 prohibits health insurance issuers from denying coverage of a non-opioid prescription
drug in favor of an opioid and ensures that the Illinois Medicaid program does not disadvantage
or discourage non-opioid prescription drugs compared to opioids or narcotics for the treatment
or management of pain. In addition, the bill directs the Department of Public Health to develop
and publish a pamphlet to provide patients with clear, accessible information about non-opioid
pain management options.
Effective date
01/01/2027Introduced Relevant Legislation
HB 3456
This bill requires all health insurance issuers in Illinois to develop and implement plans by 2027 that ensure access to a wide range of non-opioid pain management services, subject to state review, and mandates coverage and education efforts across public and private insurance programs.
Introduced
03/21/2025Plan Impact
CommercialHB 2852, Nonopioid Alternatives for Pain Act
Prohibits a health insurer to deny coverage of a non-opioid prescription drug in favor of an opioid prescription drug and requires that nonopioid drugs preferred on a specific list for the treatment or management of pain shall not be disadvantaged or discouraged with respect to coverage relative to any opioid or narcotic drug for the treatment or management of pain.
Introduced
02/05/2025Plan Impact
Medicaid & CommercialVoices Letters
Testimony at Illinois Senate Insurance Committee Meeting
Support Letter to Gov. Pritzker: SB 1238
Letter to HFS Director Whitehorn
A joint letter from Voices and Shatterproof, urging the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS)
to fully and promptly implement Public Act 104-0369, enacted through Senate Bill 1238, to ensure equitable access to non-opioid pain treatments for acute pain and prevent unnecessary opioid exposure. Specifically:
- Ensure that Illinois Medicaid does not disadvantage or discourage non-opioid
prescription drugs relative to opioids; - Provide coverage for all FDA-approved, safe, and effective non-opioid pain therapies
consistent with PA 104-0369; and - Align Medicaid coverage policies and formulary decisions with the General Assembly’s
explicit direction to expand access to non-opioid pain management options
1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2025). Provisional Drug Overdose Death Counts. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/drug-overdose-data.htm
2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2025). Medicare Part D Opioid Prescribing Mapping Tool. https://cms-oeda.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=5390718d875d4c049b1ac5976a9ff083
3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2025). Opioid Dispensing Rate Maps. https://www.cdc.gov/overdose-prevention/data-research/facts-stats/opioid-dispensing-rate-maps.html
4. Avalere Health (2025). The cost of addiction: Opioid use disorder in the United States. https://advisory.avalerehealth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Avalere-Health-White-Paper_The-cost-of-opioid-addiction_OUD-in-the-United-States.pdf