SPRINGFIELD – State Representative Robyn Gabel (D-Evanston) wants health care providers, physician's designees, or pharmacist's designees to be required by the state of Illinois to provide immunization data into a state registry – a policy being considered that could undermine federal HIPPA laws.
Currently, the state of Illinois' I-CARE, or Illinois Comprehensive Automated Immunization Registry Exchange, is a web based immunization record-sharing application developed by the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH). Participation in the program is voluntary currently, as the law says "may" provide data. Gabel wants the word changed to "shall," thus requiring the data be submitted to the state.
A hearing on HB 347 will be held in the Illinois Human Services Committee Mar 9 2021 at 3:00PM in www.ilga.gov Virtual Room 2. As of Monday, only Gabels is signed on as a bill sponsor.
During the same hearing, Democrat state Senator Mike Hastings (D-Frankfort) will be pushing forward a similar Senate Bill (SB 582).
Gabel's campaign records shows she's received thousands of campaign dollars from big pharmaceutical companies such as Merck ($2000 in 2020), Takeda ($1000 in 2020), Astellas Pharma ($250 in 2020), Eli Lilly ($500 in 2020) Vertex Pharma ($500 in 2020) and the phRMA PAC ($500 in 2020).
Witness slips may be taken via the ILGA.GOV website.
