Illinois Sen. Loughran Cappel’s menopause therapy insurance bill passes House and Senate

Passed bill authored by State Sen. Meg Loughran Cappel aims to remove prior authorization requirements for FDA-approved menopause therapies and require related continuing education, following approval in both chambers, according to the Illinois General Assembly.

In the House, 73 Democrats and 33 Republicans voted in favor of the bill.

Meanwhile, in the Senate, 31 Democrats and 15 Republicans voted in favor of the bill.

Loughran Cappel introduced the bill in the Illinois Senate on Feb. 5, 2026 during the 104th session.

The legislation, known as SB3688, was passed on May 21, 2026 during the general assembly session 104.

According to the Illinois General Assembly site, the legislature summarized the bill’s official text as follows: “Amends the Illinois Insurance Code. Prohibits a group or individual policy of accident and health insurance issued or renewed in this State from imposing prior authorization or step therapy requirements on menopause therapy under specified conditions. Amends the Medical Practice Act of 1987, the Nurse Practice Act, and the Physician Assistant Practice Act of 1987 to establish provisions concerning continuing education on perimenopause and menopause recognition and management for physicians, advanced practice registered nurses, and physician assistants. Effective January 1, 2027.”

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, this bill bars group and individual health insurance policies in Illinois from requiring prior authorization or step therapy for U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved, guideline-supported menopause therapies when prescribed by specified licensed clinicians to treat perimenopausal or menopausal symptoms, while allowing formulary tiering and limited safety-based utilization management. The bill also requires physicians, advanced practice registered nurses and physician assistants to complete up to two hours per license renewal cycle of continuing education on recognizing and managing perimenopause and menopause, without increasing total required hours. The bill takes effect January 1, 2027.

The bill was sponsored by Rep. Angelica Guerrero-Cuellar (Democrat-22nd District), Rep. Ann M. Williams (Democrat-11th District), and Rep. Carol Ammons (Democrat-103rd District), along with 20 other sponsors.

Bills in Illinois follow a multi-step legislative process, beginning with introduction in either the House or Senate, followed by committee review, floor debates, and votes in both chambers before reaching the governor for approval or veto. The General Assembly operates on a biennial schedule, and while typically thousands of bills are introduced each session, only a fraction successfully pass through the process to become law.

You can read more about bills and other measures here.

Cappel graduated from Benedictine University with a BA.

Cappel, a Democrat, was elected to the Illinois State Senate in 2020 to represent the state’s 49th Senate District, replacing previous state senator Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant.

Lawmakers listed as “Not Voting” were present for the vote but did not cast a vote. Those marked as having an “Excused Absence” were not present and formally provided a reason for their absence, which was accepted.