SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — Gov. JB Pritzker has signed a plan into law requiring insurance companies to cover mental health care for people healing from miscarriage or stillbirth.
Illinois currently requires insurance coverage for mental, emotional, nervous and substance use treatments for pregnant people through delivery, postpartum and neonatal care.
"But there is no requirement to provide those services in the case of miscarriage or stillbirth," said Sen. Linda Holmes (D-Aurora). "House Bill 5282 adds coverage for individuals needing those services as a result of a miscarriage or stillbirth."
Sponsors said the grief that people experience can trigger anxiety, stress, depression or substance abuse.
"Those who have faced the loss of an infant can cope with the trauma for the rest of their lives," Holmes said. "It is often an overpowering shock. Those reeling from miscarriage or stillbirth must be included for their recoveries as well."
The new law will take effect on January 1, 2026.
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