SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Senate passed legislation Wednesday expanding maternal and postpartum care in Illinois, as well as changing existing statutes to be more inclusive of different gender identities. Senate Bill 967, sponsored by Elgin Democratic Sen. Cristina Castro, passed the Senate floor Wednesday on a 58-0 vote. It will head to the House for
SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Senate passed legislation Wednesday expanding maternal and postpartum care in Illinois, as well as changing existing statutes to be more inclusive of different gender identities.
Senate Bill 967, sponsored by Elgin Democratic Sen. Cristina Castro, passed the Senate floor Wednesday on a 58-0 vote. It will head to the House for further consideration.
The legislation requires the Illinois Department of Human Services to update its maternal health programs for pregnant and postpartum individuals determined to be “high-risk” under new criteria, with these services being operated by registered nurses, licensed social workers and other appropriate staff approved by IDHS. Illinois Department of Public Health policies would be updated as well with new guidance and requirements for hospitals that deliver babies.
All hospitals that qualify under the statute must have written policies following IDPH guidelines on maternal and postpartum care, as well as the leading causes of maternal mortality.
According to Castro, her bill was previously passed by the Senate in 2019 but did not become law. The updated legislation was filed following last month’s Illinois Maternal Morbidity and Mortality Report, which looked at deaths during or after pregnancy from 2016 to 2017 in Illinois.
“The vast majority of postpartum deaths are preventable, so we need to be doing all we can to minimize those deaths,” Castro said in a statement released Wednesday. “This legislation will help all pregnant and postpartum mothers, but it will also work to reduce the racial disparities in maternal mortality.”
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That report found that Black residents were nearly three times as likely to die within one year after the end of their pregnancy compared to their white peers.
SB 967 would also mandate that IDHS, IDPH, and the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services revise rules related to follow-ups for high-risk infants by June 2024 in order to improve outcomes and reduce the significant racial disparities in infant and maternal death rates.
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Under the bill, private insurance plans would be required to provide postpartum coverage up to one year following the end of a pregnancy for complications relating to that policy. This would include access to treatment for “mental, emotional, nervous or substance use disorder or condition(s)”.
The legislation also amends several public health statutes to be inclusive of gender identity.
Currently, Illinois allows IDHFS to provide coverage for baseline mammograms for women 35 and older, and annual mammograms for women older than 40. The bill would remove all references to “women” in similar public health statutes to say “individuals.”
That is meant to keep in line with SB 967’s referred title, the Improving Health Care for Pregnant and Postpartum Individuals Act.
5 things to know about the need for ongoing COVID-19 testing
What kinds of coronavirus tests are available?
There are two main types of COVID-19 tests: diagnostic tests that detect the presence of the virus in a sample when there’s an active infection and antibody tests, also known as serology tests, which search a blood sample for proteins called antibodies that indicate a previous infection. Diagnostic tests include PCR tests, where a sample from a nasal swab or saliva specimen is processed by a lab so any trace amount of the virus is amplified and detected. Another form of diagnostic testing is antigen testing, also known as a rapid diagnostic test, which detects specific proteins on the surface of the virus.
CLAY JACKSON, HERALD & REVIEW
Which test is “best”?
There are benefits and drawbacks to each form of testing: For example, antigen testing might take as little as 15 minutes to get a result, whereas PCR testing can take days depending on the testing location and laboratory processing the sample. Saliva tests are often touted for requiring less contact between the provider and sample than tests that require a nasal swab, potentially limiting spread of the virus. Antibody tests are useful for testing for previous infections but shouldn’t be used to diagnose an active infection.
CLAY JACKSON, HERALD & REVIEW
Where is COVID-19 testing available?
The Illinois Department of Public Health has a list of all community-based testing sites statewide, which are open to anyone regardless of symptoms. The Food & Drug Administration has also authorized several at-home tests, self-collection kits that can be taken at home with rapid results, available by prescription or over the counter; some require a nasal sample and others use a saliva sample, some are PCR tests and others are antigen tests.
After self-testing, always review results with a health care provider, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“Your health care provider will consider the test result together with your symptoms and possible exposure in deciding how to care for you,” the CDC says on its website.
ZBIGNIEW BZDAK, CHICAGO TRIBUNE
Who should get tested?
Those with symptoms of COVID-19, those who have had close contact with another person who had a confirmed case of COVID-19, individuals who have been referred to testing by a health care provider, and people who have been exposed to large crowds or poorly ventilated areas who could not physically distance should seek coronavirus testing, according to the CDC.
DAVID PROEBER, THE PANTAGRAPH
What about people who are fully vaccinated?
Fully vaccinated individuals with no COVID-19 symptoms don’t need to be tested following an exposure to someone with the virus, the CDC says. Those with symptoms should still get tested, even if fully vaccinated.
“CDC recommends that anyone with any signs or symptoms of COVID-19 get tested, regardless of vaccination status or prior infection,” the agency’s website states. “If you get tested because you have symptoms or were potentially exposed to the virus, you should stay away from others pending test results and follow the advice of your health care provider or a public health professional.”
CLAY JACKSON, HERALD & REVIEW
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