NEWS / Illinois life insurance companies prohibited from discriminating against individuals with criminal record

Starting January 1, 2026, all Illinois life insurance companies will be prohibited from limiting or denying coverage to individuals with criminal records. The law’s sponsors argued that such discrimination unfairly targets the families of individuals who had previously committed a crime.

“I would argue and suggest that we remove the invisible handcuffs and the invisible prison cells, and allow people who are productive citizens to be able to have coverage to provide for their families,” State Senator Adriane Johnson was quoted by WAND News as stating.

At the same time, the law does not require insurance companies to provide policies to currently incarcerated individuals, just those with past criminal records. Some Democratic legislators stressed that the focus of the law was on making it easier for relatives to have the finances to bury their loved ones with past criminal records.

“There are some issues with them not being able to provide additional insurance, but this will allow them to purchase a basic policy for burial only,” Democratic Representative Rita Mayfield stated. “It does not provide for additional income to be left to the family members.”

At the same time, the new measure was criticized by a number of Republican lawmakers, arguing that the state should not interfere with actuary methods.

“It's a very slippery slope once we start removing characteristics, especially something that is based on the determination of how long your life expectancy is expected to go,” Republican Representative Jeff Keicher stressed. “Just on the core idea that we're interfering with the ability to evaluate an insurance risk, we're going to be a no.”

The legislation passed the Illinois State House of Representatives on a 76-38 vote and the Senate on a 36-18 vote.

If you require assistance obtaining a criminal background check for use abroad (with an apostille or authentication), feel free to contact us by e-mail at info@apostille.us or by phone at (212) 233-7061. You can also place an order on our website.