State of Illinois
92nd General Assembly
Legislation

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92_HB0005

 
                                               LRB9201217SMdv

 1        AN ACT to amend the Senior Citizens and Disabled  Persons
 2    Property  Tax  Relief  and  Pharmaceutical  Assistance Act by
 3    changing Sections 3.15 and 4 and by adding Sections 3.18  and
 4    3.19.

 5        Be  it  enacted  by  the People of the State of Illinois,
 6    represented in the General Assembly:

 7        Section 5.  The  Senior  Citizens  and  Disabled  Persons
 8    Property  Tax  Relief  and  Pharmaceutical  Assistance Act is
 9    amended by  changing  Sections  3.15  and  4  and  by  adding
10    Sections 3.18 and 3.19 as follows:

11        (320 ILCS 25/3.15) (from Ch. 67 1/2, par. 403.15)
12        Sec.  3.15.   "Covered  prescription  drug" means (1) any
13    cardiovascular agent  or  drug;  (2)  any  insulin  or  other
14    prescription   drug   used  in  the  treatment  of  diabetes,
15    including syringe and needles used to administer the insulin;
16    (3) any prescription drug used in the treatment of arthritis,
17    (4) beginning on January 1, 2001, any prescription drug  used
18    in the treatment of cancer, (5) beginning on January 1, 2001,
19    any  prescription  drug  used in the treatment of Alzheimer's
20    disease, (6) beginning on January 1, 2001,  any  prescription
21    drug  used  in  the  treatment  of  Parkinson's  disease, (7)
22    beginning on January 1, 2001, any prescription drug  used  in
23    the  treatment  of  glaucoma, and (8) beginning on January 1,
24    2001, any prescription drug used in  the  treatment  of  lung
25    disease  and  smoking related illnesses, and (9) beginning on
26    January 1, 2002, any prescription drug used in the  treatment
27    of  osteoporosis.   The  specific  agents  or  products to be
28    included under such categories shall be listed in a  handbook
29    to  be  prepared   and  distributed  by  the Department.  The
30    general  types  of  covered  prescription  drugs   shall   be
31    indicated  by  rule.  The  Department  of Public Health shall
 
                            -2-                LRB9201217SMdv
 1    promulgate a list of covered prescription  drugs  under  this
 2    program  that  meet  the  definition  of a narrow therapeutic
 3    index drug as described in subsection (f) of Section 4.
 4    (Source: P.A. 91-699, eff. 1-1-01.)

 5        (320 ILCS 25/3.18 new)
 6        Sec. 3.18.  Drug used in the treatment of.  "Drug used in
 7    the treatment of" means (i) a drug used to treat a  specified
 8    disease  or  illness  or  secondary  conditions caused by the
 9    disease or illness and (ii) a drug used to treat side effects
10    resulting from the use of a drug used to treat the disease or
11    illness.

12        (320 ILCS 25/3.19 new)
13        Sec. 3.19.   Disease.   "Disease"  means  a  chronic  and
14    possibly recurrent illness of long duration, as distinguished
15    from an acute illness that is of short duration with recovery
16    due  to  limited  medical treatment.  "Disease" also includes
17    pneumonia, bronchitis, or other similar illnesses.

18        (320 ILCS 25/4) (from Ch. 67 1/2, par. 404)
19        Sec. 4.  Amount of Grant.
20        (a)  In general. Any individual 65 years or older or  any
21    individual  who  will become 65 years old during the calendar
22    year in which a claim is filed, and any surviving  spouse  of
23    such  a  claimant,  who  at the time of death received or was
24    entitled to receive a grant pursuant to this  Section,  which
25    surviving  spouse  will  become 65 years of age within the 24
26    months immediately following the death of such  claimant  and
27    which  surviving  spouse  but for his or her age is otherwise
28    qualified to receive a grant pursuant to  this  Section,  and
29    any  disabled  person  whose  annual household income is less
30    than $14,000 for grant years before the 1998 grant year, less
31    than $16,000 for the 1998 and 1999 grant years, and less than
 
                            -3-                LRB9201217SMdv
 1    (i) $21,218 for  a  household  containing  one  person,  (ii)
 2    $28,480  for  a  household  containing  2  persons,  or (iii)
 3    $35,740 for a household containing 3 or more persons for  the
 4    2000  grant  year,  and  less than (i) 28,000 for a household
 5    containing  one  person,  (ii)  $35,000   for   a   household
 6    containing  2  persons,  or  (iii)  $42,000  for  a household
 7    containing 3 or more persons for  the  2001  grant  year  and
 8    thereafter  and  whose  household  is  liable  for payment of
 9    property taxes accrued or has paid rent constituting property
10    taxes accrued and is domiciled in this State at the  time  he
11    files  his claim is entitled to claim a grant under this Act.
12    With respect to claims filed by individuals who  will  become
13    65  years  old  during  the calendar year in which a claim is
14    filed, the amount of any grant to  which  that  household  is
15    entitled  shall  be  an amount equal to 1/12 of the amount to
16    which the claimant would otherwise be entitled as provided in
17    this Section, multiplied by the number of months in which the
18    claimant was 65 in the calendar year in which  the  claim  is
19    filed.
20        (b)  Limitation.    Except   as   otherwise  provided  in
21    subsections (a) and (f) of this Section, the  maximum  amount
22    of  grant which a claimant is entitled to claim is the amount
23    by which the  property  taxes  accrued  which  were  paid  or
24    payable   during   the   last  preceding  tax  year  or  rent
25    constituting  property  taxes  accrued  upon  the  claimant's
26    residence for the last preceding taxable year exceeds 3  1/2%
27    of  the  claimant's  household income for that year but in no
28    event is the grant to exceed (i) $700 less 4.5% of  household
29    income  for  that  year  for those with a household income of
30    $14,000 or less or (ii) $70 if household income for that year
31    is more than $14,000.
32        (c)  Public aid recipients.  If household income  in  one
33    or  more  months  during  a  year includes cash assistance in
34    excess of $55 per month from the Department of Public Aid  or
 
                            -4-                LRB9201217SMdv
 1    the  Department of Human Services (acting as successor to the
 2    Department of  Public  Aid  under  the  Department  of  Human
 3    Services Act)  which was determined under regulations of that
 4    Department  on  a  measure of need that included an allowance
 5    for actual rent or property taxes paid by  the  recipient  of
 6    that  assistance, the amount of grant to which that household
 7    is entitled, except as otherwise provided in subsection  (a),
 8    shall  be  the  product of (1) the maximum amount computed as
 9    specified in subsection (b) of this Section and (2) the ratio
10    of the number of months in which  household  income  did  not
11    include  such  cash assistance over $55 to the number twelve.
12    If household income did not include such cash assistance over
13    $55 for any months during the year, the amount of  the  grant
14    to  which  the  household  is  entitled  shall be the maximum
15    amount computed  as  specified  in  subsection  (b)  of  this
16    Section.    For   purposes   of  this  paragraph  (c),  "cash
17    assistance" does not include any amount  received  under  the
18    federal Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program.
19        (d)  Joint  ownership.  If title to the residence is held
20    jointly by the claimant with a person who is not a member  of
21    his  household,  the amount of property taxes accrued used in
22    computing the amount of grant to which he is  entitled  shall
23    be  the  same  percentage of property taxes accrued as is the
24    percentage  of  ownership  held  by  the  claimant   in   the
25    residence.
26        (e)  More than one residence.  If a claimant has occupied
27    more  than  one  residence  in the taxable year, he may claim
28    only one residence for any part of a month.  In the  case  of
29    property  taxes  accrued, he shall pro rate 1/12 of the total
30    property taxes accrued on his residence to each month that he
31    owned and occupied that residence; and, in the case  of  rent
32    constituting  property  taxes  accrued,  shall  pro rate each
33    month's rent payments  to  the  residence  actually  occupied
34    during that month.
 
                            -5-                LRB9201217SMdv
 1        (f)  There   is   hereby   established   a   program   of
 2    pharmaceutical  assistance  to  the  aged  and disabled which
 3    shall be administered by the Department  in  accordance  with
 4    this Act, to consist of payments to authorized pharmacies, on
 5    behalf  of  beneficiaries  of the program, for the reasonable
 6    costs of covered prescription drugs.   Each  beneficiary  who
 7    pays  $5  for  an identification card shall pay no additional
 8    prescription costs.  Each beneficiary who  pays  $25  for  an
 9    identification  card  shall  pay  $3  per  prescription.   In
10    addition,  after  a  beneficiary  receives $2,000 in benefits
11    during a State fiscal year through December 31, 2001 and,  on
12    and  after  January  1,  2002,  after  a beneficiary receives
13    $2,000 in benefits during a calendar year,  that  beneficiary
14    shall  also  be  charged 20% of the cost of each prescription
15    for which  payments  are  made  by  the  program  during  the
16    remainder  of  the fiscal year through December 31, 2001 and,
17    on and after January 1, 2002, during  the  remainder  of  the
18    calendar  year.  To become a beneficiary under this program a
19    person must be: (1) (i)  65  years  or  older,  or  (ii)  the
20    surviving spouse of such a claimant, who at the time of death
21    received or was entitled to receive benefits pursuant to this
22    subsection,  which  surviving  spouse will become 65 years of
23    age within the 24 months immediately following the  death  of
24    such  claimant  and which surviving spouse but for his or her
25    age is otherwise qualified to receive  benefits  pursuant  to
26    this  subsection,  or (iii) disabled, and (2) is domiciled in
27    this State at the time he files his or her claim, and (3) has
28    a maximum household income of less  than  $14,000  for  grant
29    years  before  the 1998 grant year, less than $16,000 for the
30    1998 and 1999 grant years, and less than (i)  $21,218  for  a
31    household containing one person, (ii) $28,480 for a household
32    containing  2  persons,  or  (iii)  $35,740  for  a household
33    containing 3 more persons for the 2000 grant year,  and  less
34    than  (i)  28,000 for a household containing one person, (ii)
 
                            -6-                LRB9201217SMdv
 1    $35,000 for  a  household  containing  2  persons,  or  (iii)
 2    $42,000  for a household containing 3 or more persons for the
 3    2001 grant year and thereafter. In  addition,  each  eligible
 4    person  must  (1)  obtain  an  identification  card  from the
 5    Department, (2) at the time the  card  is  obtained,  sign  a
 6    statement  assigning  to the State of Illinois benefits which
 7    may be otherwise claimed under any private  insurance  plans,
 8    (3)   present  the  identification  card  to  the  dispensing
 9    pharmacist.
10        Whenever a generic equivalent for a covered  prescription
11    drug  is  available,  the Department shall reimburse only for
12    the reasonable costs of  the  generic  equivalent,  less  the
13    co-pay  established  in  this Section, unless (i) the covered
14    prescription drug contains one or more ingredients defined as
15    a narrow therapeutic index drug at 21 CFR  320.33,  (ii)  the
16    prescriber  indicates  on the face of the prescription "brand
17    medically necessary", and (iii) the prescriber specifies that
18    a substitution  is  not  permitted.   When  issuing  an  oral
19    prescription for covered prescription medication described in
20    item  (i)  of  this paragraph, the prescriber shall stipulate
21    "brand medically necessary" and that a  substitution  is  not
22    permitted.    If   the  covered  prescription  drug  and  its
23    authorizing prescription do  not  meet  the  criteria  listed
24    above,   the   beneficiary   may   purchase  the  non-generic
25    equivalent of the covered prescription  drug  by  paying  the
26    difference  between the generic cost and the non-generic cost
27    plus the beneficiary co-pay.
28        Any  person   otherwise   eligible   for   pharmaceutical
29    assistance  under this Act whose covered drugs are covered by
30    any public program for assistance in purchasing  any  covered
31    prescription  drugs  shall be ineligible for assistance under
32    this Act to the extent such costs are covered by  such  other
33    plan.
34        The   fee  to  be  charged  by  the  Department  for  the
 
                            -7-                LRB9201217SMdv
 1    identification card shall be equal to $5  per  coverage  year
 2    for persons below the official poverty line as defined by the
 3    United States Department of Health and Human Services and $25
 4    per  coverage  year  for  all  other  persons.  On and before
 5    December  31,  2001,  coverage  under   this   pharmaceutical
 6    assistance  program  shall  begin  on the date of application
 7    approval and be in effect for 12 months. On and after January
 8    1,  2002,  coverage  under  this  pharmaceutical   assistance
 9    program shall be in effect on a calendar year basis.
10        In  the event that 2 or more persons are eligible for any
11    benefit  under  this  Act,  and  are  members  of  the   same
12    household,   (1)  each  such  person  shall  be  entitled  to
13    participate  in  the   pharmaceutical   assistance   program,
14    provided  that he or she meets all other requirements imposed
15    by this  subsection  and  (2)  each  participating  household
16    member  contributes  the  fee required for that person by the
17    preceding  paragraph  for  the  purpose   of   obtaining   an
18    identification card.
19    (Source: P.A.  90-650,  eff.  7-27-98;  91-357, eff. 7-29-99;
20    91-699, eff. 1-1-01.)

21        Section 99.  Effective date.  This Act takes effect  upon
22    becoming law.

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