(105 ILCS 5/22-15) (from Ch. 122, par. 22-15)

Sec. 22-15. Insurance on athletes.

(a) In this Section, "IHSA" means the Illinois High School Association.

(b) A public school district maintaining grades 9 through 12 shall provide catastrophic accident insurance coverage, with aggregate benefit limits of $3 million or 5 years, whichever occurs first, for eligible students in grades 9 through 12 who sustain an accidental injury while participating in school-sponsored or school-supervised interscholastic athletic events sanctioned by the IHSA (including direct and uninterrupted travel to and from the athletic event as well as during a temporary stay at the location of an athletic event held away from the student's school) that results in medical expenses in excess of $50,000. These benefit limits are to be in excess of any and all other insurance, coverage or benefit, in whatever form or designation. Any public school that requires students participating in school-sponsored or school-supervised interscholastic athletic events sanctioned by the IHSA (including direct and uninterrupted travel to and from the athletic event as well as during a temporary stay at the location of an athletic event held away from the student's school) to be covered under an individual or group policy of accident and health insurance is exempt from the requirements of this Section.

Non-public schools maintaining grades 9 through 12 shall provide catastrophic accident insurance coverage, with aggregate benefit limits of $3 million or 5 years, whichever occurs first, for eligible students in grades 9 through 12 who sustain an accidental injury while participating in school-sponsored or school-supervised interscholastic athletic tournaments sanctioned by the IHSA (including direct and uninterrupted travel to and from the athletic tournament as well as during a temporary stay at the location of an athletic tournament held away from the student's school) that results in medical expenses in excess of $50,000. These benefit limits are to be in excess of any and all other insurance, coverage or benefit, in whatever form or designation. Any non-public school that requires students participating in school-sponsored or school-supervised interscholastic athletic events sanctioned by the IHSA (including direct and uninterrupted travel to and from the athletic event as well as during a temporary stay at the location of an athletic event held away from the student's school) to be covered under an individual or group policy of accident and health insurance is exempt from the requirements of this Section.

(c) The IHSA has the exclusive authority to promulgate a plan of coverage necessary to ensure compliance with this Section. The IHSA shall provide a group policy providing the coverage necessary to comply with this Section. Public school districts and non-public schools may purchase the coverage necessary to comply with this Section by participating in the group policy.

Alternatively, public school districts or non-public schools that do not participate in the group policy may obtain the coverage necessary to comply with this Section from other coverage providers, but must submit to the IHSA, 60 days before the coverage inception, a certificate of insurance from the coverage provider stating that the insurance provided by the coverage provider is in compliance with the plan of coverage approved by the IHSA. A public school district that manages schools located within a city of over 500,000 inhabitants may provide the catastrophic accident insurance coverage required by this Section through a program of self-insurance, and the public school district must submit to the IHSA, 60 days before coverage inception, proof that the program is in compliance with the plan of coverage.

(d) A public school district maintaining grades kindergarten through 8 may provide medical or hospital service, or both, through accident and health insurance on a group or individual basis, or through non-profit hospital service corporations or medical service plan corporations or both, for pupils of the district in grades kindergarten through 8 injured while participating in any athletic activity under the jurisdiction of or sponsored or controlled by the district or the authorities of any school thereof. The cost of such insurance or of subscriptions to such non-profit corporations, when paid from the funds of the district, shall, to the extent such moneys are sufficient, be paid from moneys derived from athletic activities. To the extent that moneys derived from athletic activities are insufficient, such cost may be paid from the educational fund of the district. Such insurance may be purchased from or such subscriptions may be taken in only such companies or corporations as are authorized to do business in Illinois.

(Source: P.A. 98-166, eff. 8-5-13.)