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Illinois General Assembly· SB 3707Governor Approved

VISION BENEFIT MANAGERS, the official text

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SB3707 Enrolled                     LRB104 20689 JDS 34188 b

1   AN ACT concerning regulation.

2   Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,

3 represented in the General Assembly:

4   Section 5. The Vision Care Plan Regulation Act is amended

5 by changing Sections 5, 10, 15, 20, 35, and 40 and by adding

6 Sections 17, 18, 45, 50, and 55 as follows:

7   (215 ILCS 161/5)

8   Sec. 5. Definitions. As used in this Act:

9   "Administrator" has the meanings given to that term in

10 Sections 370g and 511.101 of the Illinois Insurance Code.

11  "Affiliate" has the meaning given to that term in

12 subsection (a) of Section 131.1 of the Illinois Insurance

13 Code.

14  "Covered materials" means materials for which

15 reimbursement from an enrollee's the vision care plan is

16 provided to an eye care provider or for which reimbursement is

17 provided to by an enrollee under a vision care enrollee's plan

18 contract or for which a reimbursement would be available but

19 for the application of the enrollee's plan contractual

20 limitation of deductibles, copayments, or coinsurance.

21 "Covered materials" includes lens treatment or coatings added

22 to a spectacle lens if the base spectacle lens is a covered

23 material.
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1   "Covered services" means services for which reimbursement

2 from an enrollee's the vision care plan is provided to an eye

3 care provider or for which reimbursement is provided to by an

4 enrollee under a vision care enrollee's plan contract or for

5 which a reimbursement would be available but for the

6 application of the enrollee's contractual plan limitation of

7 deductibles, copayments, or coinsurance regardless of how the

8 benefits are listed in an enrollee's benefit plan's definition

9 of benefits.

10  "Enrollee" means any individual enrolled in a vision care

11 plan provided by a group, employer, or other entity that

12 purchases or supplies coverage for a vision care plan.

13  "Excepted benefits" has the meaning given to that term in

14 subsection (c) of Section 2791 of the federal Public Health

15 Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300gg-91(c)) and federal regulations

16 promulgated in accordance with that subsection.

17  "Eye care provider" means a doctor of optometry licensed

18 pursuant to the Illinois Optometric Practice Act of 1987 or a

19 physician licensed to practice medicine in all of its branches

20 pursuant to the Medical Practice Act of 1987.

21  "Fee schedule" means documents that provide the

22 predetermined rates or allowed amounts for covered services

23 and covered materials, paid to the eye care provider by the

24 vision care organization.

25  "Health insurance coverage" has the meaning given to that

26 term in Section 5 of the Illinois Health Insurance Portability
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1 and Accountability Act.

2   "Health insurance issuer" or "issuer" has the meaning

3 given to that term in Section 5 of the Illinois Health

4 Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.

5   "Materials" means ophthalmic devices, including, but not

6 limited to:

7   (i) lenses, devices containing lenses, ophthalmic

8   frames, and other lens mounting apparatus, prisms, lens

9   treatments, and coatings;

10  (ii) contact lenses and prosthetic devices that

11  correct, relieve, or treat defects or abnormal conditions

12  of the human eye or adnexa; and

13  (iii) any devices that deliver medication or other

14  therapeutic treatment to the human eye or adnexa.

15  "Provider agreement" means the contractual relationship

16 between a vision care organization and an eye care provider

17 setting forth the terms and conditions under which covered

18 services and covered materials are provided to an enrollee

19 under the vision care plan, including but not limited to,

20 provider manuals, policies and procedures, fee schedules,

21 dispute resolution processes, and any documents incorporated

22 by reference.

23  "Services" means the professional work performed by an eye

24 care provider.

25  "Subcontractor" means any company, group, affiliate, or

26 third-party entity, including agents or , servants, that
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1 performs or administers functions or services on behalf of the

2 vision care organization to execute or, partially owned or

3 wholly owned subsidiaries and controlled organizations, that

4 the vision care plan contracts with to supply services or

5 materials for an eye care provider or enrollee to fulfill the

6 benefit plan of a vision care plan or a vision care discount

7 plan. The location of the person's or entity's domicile,

8 whether in Illinois or a foreign or alien jurisdiction, does

9 not affect the person's or entity's status as a subcontractor.

10  "Vision care discount plan" means a policy, contract, or

11 agreement offered by a vision care organization to an enrollee

12 that solely provides for a discount for noncovered vision care

13 services or materials.

14  "Vision care organization" means an administrator or

15 issuer entity formed under the laws of this State or another

16 state that issues or administers a vision care plan.

17  "Vision care plan" means a policy, certificate, contract,

18 or other plan of health insurance coverage, whether excepted

19 benefits or any other coverage that creates, promotes, sells,

20 provides, advertises, or administers an integrated or

21 stand-alone plan that provides coverage for covered services

22 and covered materials.

23 (Source: P.A. 103-482, eff. 8-4-23; 104-417, eff. 8-15-25.)

24  (215 ILCS 161/10)

25  Sec. 10. Noncovered services.
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1   (a) No vision care organization that issues, delivers,

2 amends, or renews a provider agreement vision care plan on or

3 after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 104th

4 General Assembly shall issue a contract that requires an eye

5 care provider, as a condition of participation in the vision

6 care plan, to provide services or materials to an enrollee at a

7 fee set by the vision care plan unless the services or

8 materials are covered services or covered materials under the

9 vision care plan. De minimis reimbursements shall not qualify

10 a service or material as a covered service or a covered

11 material under this Act.

12  (b) An eye care provider who chooses not to accept as

13 payment an amount set by a vision care plan for services or

14 materials that are not covered services or covered materials

15 shall post, in a conspicuous place, a notice stating the

16 following: "IMPORTANT: In accordance with State law, this This

17 eye care provider may choose does not to accept discounts the

18 fee schedule set by your insurer for noncovered vision care

19 services and noncovered vision care materials that are not

20 covered benefits under your plan and instead charges his or

21 her normal fee for those services and materials. However, This

22 eye care provider will provide you with an estimated cost for

23 each noncovered service or noncovered material will be made

24 available upon your request."

25 (Source: P.A. 103-482, eff. 8-4-23.)
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1   (215 ILCS 161/15)

2   Sec. 15. Fees for covered services and covered materials.

3   (a) Fees paid under a vision care plan for covered

4 services and covered materials, regardless of the supplier or

5 optical lab used to obtain materials, shall be reasonable and

6 shall be clearly listed on a fee schedule that has been

7 provided to the eye care provider before entering into a

8 provider agreement contract with the vision care organization.

9 Fees paid for materials supplied by a non-network lab are not

10 required to be identical to fees paid for materials ordered

11 through a network lab, but non-network lab fees shall be

12 reasonable.

13  (b) A vision care organization shall, before entering into

14 a provider agreement, inform the eye care provider by email

15 or, if requested by the eye care provider, by mail, on how to

16 access the fee schedule. A vision care organization may make

17 this information available by mail, email, or website listing.

18  (c) A vision care organization shall make an updated copy

19 of a fee schedule available to the eye care provider every

20 calendar quarter. Nothing in this subsection precludes a

21 vision care organization from making the fee schedule

22 available to the eye care provider more frequently than every

23 calendar quarter or available at all times.

24 (Source: P.A. 103-482, eff. 8-4-23.)

25  (215 ILCS 161/17 new)
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1   Sec. 17. Payments.

2   (a) A vision care organization shall comply with Section

3 355.6 of the Illinois Insurance Code.

4   (b) A vision care organization shall not prohibit an eye

5 care provider from offering a cash payment option to the

6 enrollee if the cash payment option is less costly to the

7 enrollee than the total out-of-pocket cost of the covered

8 service or covered material.

9   (215 ILCS 161/18 new)

10  Sec. 18. Vision care plan benefits. A vision care

11 organization shall clearly list, in the schedule of benefits

12 and vision care plan documents provided to an enrollee and eye

13 care provider, the cost-sharing amounts associated with

14 covered materials and covered services.

15  (215 ILCS 161/20)

16  Sec. 20. Misrepresentation.

17  (a) A vision care organization and its officers,

18 directors, agents, and employees are subject to the provisions

19 of Sections 149, and 154.6, and 424 of the Illinois Insurance

20 Code.

21  (b) The provisions of this Act apply to any limited health

22 service organization certified under the Limited Health

23 Service Organization Act that is a vision care organization.

24  (c) (b) Incorporation by reference in this Act to specific
    SB3707 Enrolled    -8-            LRB104 20689 JDS 34188 b

1 laws of this State shall not be construed to exempt a vision
2 care organization or vision care plan from otherwise
3 applicable laws that are not specifically referenced in this
4 Act.
5 (Source: P.A. 103-482, eff. 8-4-23.)

6   (215 ILCS 161/35)

7   Sec. 35. Modification of a provider agreement plan.

8   (a) The terms, fees, discounts, provider manuals, or

9 reimbursement rates in a provider agreement vision care plan

10 may not be changed during the term of the provider agreement

11 contract unless mutually agreed to in writing by the eye care

12 provider and the vision care organization that issued the

13 provider agreement vision care plan. However, a change

14 proposed to a provider agreement vision care plan by the

15 vision care organization shall become effective if the eye

16 care provider fails to respond to the vision care organization

17 within 60 days after verification of receipt of notice of the

18 proposed changes, as provided in subsections (b) and (c).

19  (b) Notification of any proposed changes to the provider

20 agreement, and the details in the provider agreement, shall be

21 sent to the eye care provider by electronic communication with

22 verification upon receipt, or upon request of the eye care

23 provider, through certified mail.

24  (c) A vision care organization shall provide to the eye

25 care provider reasonable access to agreement terms, policy
    SB3707 Enrolled              -9-     LRB104 20689 JDS 34188 b

1 manuals, fee schedules, and any other policies and procedures

2 referenced in the agreement or proposed amendments to the

3 agreement. As used in this subsection, "reasonable access"

4 includes making this information available upon request by

5 mail, email, or website listing.

6   (d) The term of a provider agreement may not exceed 2 years

7 unless a different term length is mutually agreed to in

8 writing by all parties.

9   (e) (b) The terms of a provider agreement vision care plan

10 contract that is amended, delivered, issued, or renewed after

11 the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 104th General

12 Assembly Act shall comply with the provisions of this Act.

13 (Source: P.A. 103-482, eff. 8-4-23.)

14  (215 ILCS 161/40)

15  Sec. 40. Prohibitions; medical plan preconditions.

16  (a) No vision care organization that issues, delivers,

17 amends, or renews a provider agreement vision care plan on or

18 after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 104th

19 General Assembly shall issue a provider agreement vision care

20 plan contract that requires:

21  (1) an eye care provider to participate in contract

22  with a plan that offers supplemental or specialty health

23  care services as a condition of entering into or

24  maintaining a provider agreement relating to contracting

25  with a plan that offers basic health services; or
    SB3707 Enrolled        - 10 - LRB104 20689 JDS 34188 b

1   (2) an eye care provider to participate in contract

2   with a vision care plan as a condition to participation in

3   a medical plan or in-network.

4   (b) A vision care organization plan may enter into an

5 agreement with a health care plan to deliver routine vision

6 care services that are covered under the enrollee's plan.

7   (c) A vision care organization plan may administer act as

8 a network regarding routine vision care services offered by a

9 health care plan.

10 (Source: P.A. 103-482, eff. 8-4-23.)

11  (215 ILCS 161/45 new)

12  Sec. 45. Participation in vision care discount plans. A

13 vision care organization shall not require an eye care

14 provider to contract for services under a vision care discount

15 plan as a condition of contracting for services under a

16 provider agreement.

17  (215 ILCS 161/50 new)

18  Sec. 50. Prohibition on a security interest. A vision care

19 organization shall not require an eye care provider to

20 establish a security interest in any property or assets of the

21 eye care provider, including pertaining to the eye care

22 provider's practice.

23  (215 ILCS 161/55 new)
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1   Sec. 55. Nonretaliation. A vision care organization may

2 not retaliate against an eye care provider for exercising any

3 rights under this Act, including, but not limited to:

4            (1) communicating with the Department of Insurance,

5   federal regulators, State or federal legislators, or

6   professional associations regarding the enforcement or

7   interpretation of this Act; or

8            (2) filing a complaint or report with the Department

9   of Insurance regarding the enforcement of this Act or any

10  other provisions of the Illinois Insurance Code or the

11  Illinois Administrative Code.

12  (815 ILCS 505/2CCCC rep.)

13  Section 90. The Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business

14 Practices Act is amended by repealing Section 2CCCC.

15  Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect January

16 1, 2027.
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