RHA’s annual State Lung Health Education Day gives advocates the opportunity to visit Springfield and gather support for lung-friendly initiatives. For seasoned advocates and newcomers alike, we want to empower you to speak up for lung health. Just sharing your story can be enough to influence policy and improve lives for years to come.
This year’s trip took place Wednesday, April 18, 2018.
Lung health advocates visit legislators.
The full day event includes a coach bus ride from Chicago to Springfield, advocacy training, a tour of the Capitol building, meetings with legislators, and a sit-down lunch with special guest speakers.
This year, we talked to our legislators about:
- Tobacco 21 (House Bill 4297/Senate Bill 2332)
Raising the minimum legal sales age of tobacco products from 18 to 21, or Tobacco 21, is a fast growing, nationally recognized youth tobacco prevention strategy that has been adopted in 20 Illinois communities and we are pushing it statewide. Most smokers (95%) begin smoking before age 21. By getting young people past that critical threshold for brain development and addiction, we can dramatically lower the number of people who start smoking and become addicted to smoking. This will lower smoking rates, prevent disease and save long-term health care costs.
- Stock Asthma Rescue Medication in Schools (Senate Bill 3015)
Asthma is a significant public health issue in Illinois, impacting educational outcomes, quality of life, productivity and health care costs. SB3015 would improve access to live-saving medication by allowing schools to maintain a stock of asthma rescue medication. Improving access to asthma rescue medication (Albuterol) would reduce school absences, hospitalizations and long term healthcare costs, improve health outcomes, and save lives.
- Protecting Illinoisans from Unfair Coverage Changes (House Bill 4146)
Families in Illinois carefully shop for a health plan that covers the benefits they need when they are locked into their plan. Midyear reductions in coverage often cause “non-medical switching” – the practice in which stable patients are forced off their original medications, regardless of clinician recommendations and health consequences. Patients who rely on medications to keep their health stable should be able to shop for coverage without fear that their benefits will be changed or eliminated during the policy year. House Bill 4146 would protect against unfair pharmacy coverage reductions during the course of the policy year.
Thank you to everyone who joined us in Springfield this year!
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