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Official Reports","paragraph_id":"para_1"},{"text":"Appellate Court","paragraph_id":"para_2"},{"text":"Reynolds v. State Farm Life Insurance Co., 2025 IL App (2d) 240399","paragraph_id":"para_3"},{"text":"Appellate Court","paragraph_id":"para_4"},{"text":"Caption","paragraph_id":"para_5"},{"text":"MILTON REYNOLDS, Individually and on Behalf of Similarly","paragraph_id":"para_6"},{"text":"Situated Individuals, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. STATE FARM LIFE","paragraph_id":"para_7"},{"text":"INSURANCE COMPANY, and STATE FARM LIFE AND","paragraph_id":"para_8"},{"text":"ACCIDENT ASSURANCE COMPANY, Defendants-Appellees.","paragraph_id":"para_9"},{"text":"District & No. Second District","paragraph_id":"para_10"},{"text":"No. 2-24-0399","paragraph_id":"para_11"},{"text":"Filed December 10, 2025","paragraph_id":"para_12"},{"text":"Decision Under","paragraph_id":"para_13"},{"text":"Review","paragraph_id":"para_14"},{"text":"Appeal from the Circuit Court of Kane County, No. 23-LA-465; the","paragraph_id":"para_15"},{"text":"Hon. John G. Dalton, Judge, presiding.","paragraph_id":"para_16"},{"text":"Judgment Affirmed.","paragraph_id":"para_17"},{"text":"Counsel on","paragraph_id":"para_18"},{"text":"Appeal","paragraph_id":"para_19"},{"text":"Robert A. Chapman, Robert J. Shapiro, and Shannon T. Knight, of","paragraph_id":"para_20"},{"text":"Chapman Spingola, LLP, and Eugene Y. Turin, Andrew T. Heldut,","paragraph_id":"para_21"},{"text":"and Jordan R. Frysinger, of McGuire Law, P.C., both of Chicago, for","paragraph_id":"para_22"},{"text":"appellant.","paragraph_id":"para_23"},{"text":"Sean G. Wieber, Samantha Lerner, Kevin P. Simpson, and James W.","paragraph_id":"para_24"},{"text":"Randall, of Winston & Strawn LLP, of Chicago, for appellees.","paragraph_id":"para_25"},{"text":"Eric S. Mattson and Ellen A. Wiencek, of Sidley Austin LLP, of","paragraph_id":"para_26"},{"text":"Chicago, for amicus curiae American Council of Life Insurers.","paragraph_id":"para_27"},{"text":"- 2 -","paragraph_id":"para_28"},{"text":"Panel JUSTICE HUTCHINSON delivered the judgment of the court, with","paragraph_id":"para_29"},{"text":"opinion.","paragraph_id":"para_30"},{"text":"Justices McLaren and Birkett concurred in the judgment and opinion.","paragraph_id":"para_31"},{"text":"OPINION","paragraph_id":"para_32"},{"text":"¶ 1 At issue here is whether section 20(b) of the Genetic Information Privacy Act (Act) (410","paragraph_id":"para_33"},{"text":"ILCS 513/1 et seq. (West 2022)) applies to life insurance underwriting. Upon careful","paragraph_id":"para_34"},{"text":"consideration, we determine that it does not and therefore affirm.","paragraph_id":"para_35"},{"text":"¶ 2 I. BACKGROUND","paragraph_id":"para_36"},{"text":"¶ 3 A. Factual Background","paragraph_id":"para_37"},{"text":"¶ 4 On October 30, 2023, plaintiff Milton Reynolds filed this putative class action in the Kane","paragraph_id":"para_38"},{"text":"County circuit court. Reynolds’s complaint raised a single cause of action arising out of the","paragraph_id":"para_39"},{"text":"Act’s section 20(b). Id. § 20(b). Reynolds alleged that State Farm Life Insurance Company and","paragraph_id":"para_40"},{"text":"State Farm Life and Accident Assurance Company (collectively, State Farm) required him","paragraph_id":"para_41"},{"text":"(and other similarly situated individuals) to undergo a physical exam and to provide genetic","paragraph_id":"para_42"},{"text":"personal health information (genetic PHI) to assess their eligibility for life insurance coverage.","paragraph_id":"para_43"},{"text":"Reynolds’s complaint alleged that this practice ran afoul of the Act’s section 20(b), which","paragraph_id":"para_44"},{"text":"prohibits insurers from using or disclosing “protected health information that is genetic","paragraph_id":"para_45"},{"text":"information” for “underwriting purposes.” Id.","paragraph_id":"para_46"},{"text":"¶ 5 On March 14, 2024, State Farm moved to dismiss Reynolds’s complaint under section 2-","paragraph_id":"para_47"},{"text":"615 of the Code of Civil Procedure (735 ILCS 5/2-615 (West 2024)). State Farm argued, inter","paragraph_id":"para_48"},{"text":"alia, that section 20(b) did not apply to life insurance underwriting but rather solely to health","paragraph_id":"para_49"},{"text":"insurance underwriting. On March 31, 2024, the trial court held a hearing on State Farm’s","paragraph_id":"para_50"},{"text":"motion to dismiss. Reasoning that section 20(b) “[t]aken as a whole, read in context, [and]","paragraph_id":"para_51"},{"text":"giving affect [sic] to all of its provisions” did not apply to life insurers, the trial court granted","paragraph_id":"para_52"},{"text":"State Farm’s motion to dismiss with prejudice. This timely appeal followed.","paragraph_id":"para_53"},{"text":"¶ 6 B. Summary of Parties’ Main Arguments","paragraph_id":"para_54"},{"text":"¶ 7 Reynolds advances numerous arguments in his brief in support of his theory that the Act’s","paragraph_id":"para_55"},{"text":"section 20(b) applies to life insurance underwriting. He points first to section 20(b)’s use of","paragraph_id":"para_56"},{"text":"the broad term “insurers”—rather than a more qualified term, such as “health insurers”—and","paragraph_id":"para_57"},{"text":"concludes that this section regulates life insurers insofar as they meet the statutory definition","paragraph_id":"para_58"},{"text":"of “insurer.” 1 Reynolds next contrasts section 20(b)’s language with that of adjacent","paragraph_id":"para_59"},{"text":"subsections (a) and (c). 410 ILCS 513/20(a), (c) (West 2022). These latter subsections,","paragraph_id":"para_60"},{"text":"Reynolds notes, explicitly limit their application to accident and health insurance, while","paragraph_id":"para_61"},{"text":"subsection (b) contains no similar limitation. Following this, Reynolds anticipates State Farm’s","paragraph_id":"para_62"},{"text":"argument that construes subsection (b)(4) (id. § 20(b)(4)) as a “catch-all clause,” limiting the","paragraph_id":"para_63"},{"text":"1There was some question in the trial court whether life insurers meet the Act’s statutory definition","paragraph_id":"para_64"},{"text":"of “insurer.” State Farm chooses not to argue this point. Therefore, we proceed as if life insurers meet","paragraph_id":"para_65"},{"text":"the statutory definition.","paragraph_id":"para_66"},{"text":"- 3 -","paragraph_id":"para_67"},{"text":"definition of “underwriting purposes” to health insurance underwriting. See infra ¶¶ 17-23","paragraph_id":"para_68"},{"text":"(section II(C)). Reynolds stresses that, under the “last antecedent rule,” the limiting language","paragraph_id":"para_69"},{"text":"in one subpart ought to apply only to that subpart. Thus, per Reynolds, the language of","paragraph_id":"para_70"},{"text":"subsection (b)(4)—apparently limiting the definition of “underwriting purposes”—should","paragraph_id":"para_71"},{"text":"apply only to subsection (b)(4).","paragraph_id":"para_72"},{"text":"¶ 8 Reynolds’s brief dives into section 20(b)’s legislative history as well. Passed in 2014, he","paragraph_id":"para_73"},{"text":"notes that section 20(b) is unique alongside its 1998 counterparts in that it does not expressly","paragraph_id":"para_74"},{"text":"limit its application to health and accident insurers. Reynolds contends that this was an","paragraph_id":"para_75"},{"text":"intentional omission by the General Assembly, designed to widen section 20(b)’s applicability","paragraph_id":"para_76"},{"text":"to all insurers. Moreover, Reynolds argues, the General Assembly based section 20(b)’s text","paragraph_id":"para_77"},{"text":"on a similar Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) (42 U.S.C.","paragraph_id":"para_78"},{"text":"§ 201 et seq. (2018)) regulation. When it did so, however, it replaced HIPAA’s “covered","paragraph_id":"para_79"},{"text":"entity” terminology (a narrow term meaning a health plan or health insurance company) with","paragraph_id":"para_80"},{"text":"the broader term of “insurer,” which likewise demonstrates the legislature’s intent to cast a","paragraph_id":"para_81"},{"text":"broad regulatory net in passing this section.","paragraph_id":"para_82"},{"text":"¶ 9 In its brief, State Farm seeks to counter these arguments. It stresses that, while section 20(b)","paragraph_id":"para_83"},{"text":"regulates “insurers,” an entity’s status as an “insurer” is not enough to trigger section 20(b)’s","paragraph_id":"para_84"},{"text":"regulations. Rather, an entity must be both an insurer and engaged in underwriting. Section","paragraph_id":"para_85"},{"text":"20(b)’s definition of underwriting, meanwhile, consists principally of health insurance","paragraph_id":"para_86"},{"text":"vocabulary, such as “deductibles” and “pre-existing conditions.” Terms specific to life","paragraph_id":"para_87"},{"text":"insurance are notably absent.","paragraph_id":"para_88"},{"text":"¶ 10 In response to Reynolds’s analysis of section 20(b)(4), State Farm emphasizes section","paragraph_id":"para_89"},{"text":"20(b)’s syntax of “A, B, C and other D’s,” and notes that under standard grammatical rules,","paragraph_id":"para_90"},{"text":"the “other D’s” phrase modifies the entire series, not just the last item of the series. The “last","paragraph_id":"para_91"},{"text":"antecedent” rule that Reynolds forwards, State Farm points out, applies to a different type of","paragraph_id":"para_92"},{"text":"syntax.","paragraph_id":"para_93"},{"text":"¶ 11 Finally, State Farm examines the legislative history of section 20(b). It demonstrates that","paragraph_id":"para_94"},{"text":"the General Assembly added this section to modernize the Act in light of new federal","paragraph_id":"para_95"},{"text":"regulations, which applied solely to health insurers. It notes the life insurance industry’s","paragraph_id":"para_96"},{"text":"conspicuous silence when the General Assembly was considering section 20(b) in 2014—a","paragraph_id":"para_97"},{"text":"notable contrast to 1998, when the life insurance industry’s outcry forced changes to the","paragraph_id":"para_98"},{"text":"original law. It points also to recently introduced legislation that, if enacted, would regulate","paragraph_id":"para_99"},{"text":"the use of genetic PHI for life insurance underwriting. Such legislation would be unnecessary,","paragraph_id":"para_100"},{"text":"State Farm notes, if section 20(b) already applied to life insurance underwriting.","paragraph_id":"para_101"},{"text":"¶ 12 II. ANALYSIS","paragraph_id":"para_102"},{"text":"¶ 13 A. Standard of Review","paragraph_id":"para_103"},{"text":"¶ 14 When considering the sufficiency of a complaint under section 2-615, we must determine","paragraph_id":"para_104"},{"text":"whether the allegations in the complaint, construed in a light most favorable to the plaintiff,","paragraph_id":"para_105"},{"text":"are sufficient to set forth a cause of action upon which relief may be granted. Jost v. Bailey,","paragraph_id":"para_106"},{"text":"286 Ill. App. 3d 872, 877 (1997). A claim should be dismissed on the pleadings only if “it","paragraph_id":"para_107"},{"text":"clearly appears that no set of facts can be proved under the pleadings which will entitle the","paragraph_id":"para_108"},{"text":"plaintiff to recover.” Bryson v. News America Publications, Inc. 174 Ill. 2d 77, 86 (1996).","paragraph_id":"para_109"},{"text":"Because a section 2-615 motion to dismiss “challenges the legal sufficiency of a complaint","paragraph_id":"para_110"},{"text":"based on defects apparent on its face,” our review is de novo. Marshall v. Burger King Corp.,","paragraph_id":"para_111"},{"text":"- 4 -","paragraph_id":"para_112"},{"text":"222 Ill. 2d 422, 429 (2006). In examining a motion to dismiss with respect to the pleadings,","paragraph_id":"para_113"},{"text":"the court must accept as true all well-pleaded facts and any reasonable inferences drawn from","paragraph_id":"para_114"},{"text":"those facts. The court must also construe the well-pleaded facts in a light most favorable to the","paragraph_id":"para_115"},{"text":"plaintiff. However, the court may not accept as true conclusions of law or fact unsupported by","paragraph_id":"para_116"},{"text":"specific allegations of fact. M.U. v. Team Illinois Hockey Club, Inc., 2022 IL App (2d) 210568,","paragraph_id":"para_117"},{"text":"¶ 16.","paragraph_id":"para_118"},{"text":"¶ 15 B. General Principles","paragraph_id":"para_119"},{"text":"¶ 16 This case presents an issue of statutory interpretation. The cardinal rule of statutory","paragraph_id":"para_120"},{"text":"construction is to ascertain and give effect to the legislature’s intent. Wade v. City of North","paragraph_id":"para_121"},{"text":"Chicago Police Pension Board, 226 Ill. 2d 485, 509 (2007). “The best indicator of legislative","paragraph_id":"para_122"},{"text":"intent is the plain language of the statute itself.” O’Connell v. County of Cook, 2022 IL 127527,","paragraph_id":"para_123"},{"text":"¶ 21. The court should evaluate the statute as a whole, “with each provision construed in","paragraph_id":"para_124"},{"text":"connection with every other section.” Roselle Police Pension Board v. Village of Roselle, 232","paragraph_id":"para_125"},{"text":"Ill. 2d 546, 552 (2009). “Although a court should first consider the language of the statute, a","paragraph_id":"para_126"},{"text":"court must presume that the legislature, in enacting the statute, did not intend absurdity or","paragraph_id":"para_127"},{"text":"injustice.” Wade, 226 Ill. 2d at 510. “Each word, clause, and sentence of a statute must be given","paragraph_id":"para_128"},{"text":"a reasonable meaning, if possible, and should not be rendered superfluous.” Williams v.","paragraph_id":"para_129"},{"text":"Bruscato, 2021 IL App (2d) 190971, ¶ 13.","paragraph_id":"para_130"},{"text":"¶ 17 C. Whether State Farm Created or","paragraph_id":"para_131"},{"text":"Received “Protected Health Information”","paragraph_id":"para_132"},{"text":"¶ 18 Section 20(b) prohibits insurers from using or disclosing “protected health information”","paragraph_id":"para_133"},{"text":"(PHI) that is “genetic information” for underwriting purposes. 410 ILCS 513/20(b) (West","paragraph_id":"para_134"},{"text":"2022). The Act adopts HIPPA’s definitions of both terms. Id. § 10 (citing 45 C.F.R. § 160.103","paragraph_id":"para_135"},{"text":"(2022)). “Genetic information” means, in relevant part,","paragraph_id":"para_136"},{"text":"“information about:","paragraph_id":"para_137"},{"text":"(i) [an] individuals’ genetic tests;","paragraph_id":"para_138"},{"text":"(ii) [t]he genetic tests of family members of the individual;","paragraph_id":"para_139"},{"text":"(iii) [t]he manifestation of a disease or disorder in family members of such","paragraph_id":"para_140"},{"text":"individual; or","paragraph_id":"para_141"},{"text":"(iv) [a]ny request for, or receipt of, genetic services, or participation in clinical","paragraph_id":"para_142"},{"text":"research which includes genetic services, by the individual or any family member of","paragraph_id":"para_143"},{"text":"the individual.” 45 C.F.R. § 160.103 (2022).","paragraph_id":"para_144"},{"text":"Reynolds contends that the information collected by State Farm meets the Act’s definition of","paragraph_id":"para_145"},{"text":"“genetic information” because it qualifies as “information about *** the manifestation of a","paragraph_id":"para_146"},{"text":"disease or disorder in” Reynolds’s family members. We agree, but this is not enough. The","paragraph_id":"para_147"},{"text":"genetic information must also meet the statutory definition of PHI. Our review of this","paragraph_id":"para_148"},{"text":"definition leads us to conclude that the information collected here does not qualify as PHI.","paragraph_id":"para_149"},{"text":"¶ 19 The Act defines PHI as having “the meaning ascribed to it under HIPAA, as specified in","paragraph_id":"para_150"},{"text":"45 CFR 16[0].103.” 410 ILCS 513/10 (West 2022). HIPAA regulations define PHI as follows:","paragraph_id":"para_151"},{"text":"“Protected health information means individually identifiable health information:","paragraph_id":"para_152"},{"text":"(1) Except as provided in paragraph (2) of this definition, that is:","paragraph_id":"para_153"},{"text":"- 5 -","paragraph_id":"para_154"},{"text":"(i) Transmitted by electronic media;","paragraph_id":"para_155"},{"text":"(ii) Maintained in electronic media; or","paragraph_id":"para_156"},{"text":"(iii) Transmitted or maintained in any other form or medium.” (Emphasis","paragraph_id":"para_157"},{"text":"added.) 45 C.F.R. § 160.103 (2022).","paragraph_id":"para_158"},{"text":"¶ 20 The same section defines “individually identifiable health information” as:","paragraph_id":"para_159"},{"text":"“information that is a subset of health information, including demographic information","paragraph_id":"para_160"},{"text":"collected from an individual, and:","paragraph_id":"para_161"},{"text":"(1) Is created or received by a health care provider, health plan, employer, or","paragraph_id":"para_162"},{"text":"health care clearinghouse; and","paragraph_id":"para_163"},{"text":"(2) Relates to the past, present, or future physical or mental health or condition of","paragraph_id":"para_164"},{"text":"an individual; the provision of health care to an individual; or the past, present, or future","paragraph_id":"para_165"},{"text":"payment for the provision of health care to an individual; and","paragraph_id":"para_166"},{"text":"(i) That identifies the individual; or","paragraph_id":"para_167"},{"text":"(ii) With respect to which there is a reasonable basis to believe the information","paragraph_id":"para_168"},{"text":"can be used to identify the individual.” (Emphasis added.) Id.","paragraph_id":"para_169"},{"text":"¶ 21 Put simply, section 20(b) regulates the use and disclosure of PHI. For information to be","paragraph_id":"para_170"},{"text":"PHI, it must also be “individually identifiable health information.” Individually identifiable","paragraph_id":"para_171"},{"text":"health information, in turn, must have been “created or received by a health care provider,","paragraph_id":"para_172"},{"text":"health plan, employer, or health care clearinghouse.” Id. Reynolds does not allege that State","paragraph_id":"para_173"},{"text":"Farm is any of these things.","paragraph_id":"para_174"},{"text":"¶ 22 Reynolds might protest that ExamOne, which conducted the medical examination on","paragraph_id":"para_175"},{"text":"behalf of State Farm, is itself a “health care provider” that “created” health information, thereby","paragraph_id":"para_176"},{"text":"transforming the information it collected into individually identifiable health information and,","paragraph_id":"para_177"},{"text":"ultimately, into PHI. Indeed, Reynolds refers to ExamOne as a “health care provider” on","paragraph_id":"para_178"},{"text":"several occasions in its brief. However, beyond this conclusory characterization, Reynolds","paragraph_id":"para_179"},{"text":"gives us no reason to conclude that ExamOne meets HIPAA’s definition of a “health care","paragraph_id":"para_180"},{"text":"provider,” nor is that conclusion evident from the facts. See id. (defining health care provider).","paragraph_id":"para_181"},{"text":"Because “health care provider” has a specific definition under the statute, finding that","paragraph_id":"para_182"},{"text":"ExamOne meets this definition would amount to a legal conclusion. Even at this stage of","paragraph_id":"para_183"},{"text":"proceedings, we are bound to not accept legal conclusions “unsupported by specific allegations","paragraph_id":"para_184"},{"text":"of fact.” Team Illinois Hockey Club, Inc., 2022 IL App (2d) 210568, ¶ 16.","paragraph_id":"para_185"},{"text":"¶ 23 Accordingly, because State Farm is not a health care provider, plan, employer, or","paragraph_id":"para_186"},{"text":"clearinghouse, its collection and use of Reynolds’s genetic information falls outside of section","paragraph_id":"para_187"},{"text":"20(b)’s scope. Moreover, with the facts and argument before us, we cannot conclude that","paragraph_id":"para_188"},{"text":"ExamOne meets the definition of “health care provider.” We could affirm the trial court’s","paragraph_id":"para_189"},{"text":"ruling on this basis alone. However, because doing so would leave the central question of this","paragraph_id":"para_190"},{"text":"appeal unresolved, we continue to analyze the language of section 20(b).","paragraph_id":"para_191"},{"text":"¶ 24 D. Section 20(b) Applies Only to Health Insurance Underwriting","paragraph_id":"para_192"},{"text":"¶ 25 In relevant part, section 20(b) states as follows:","paragraph_id":"para_193"},{"text":"“An insurer shall not use or disclose protected health information that is genetic","paragraph_id":"para_194"},{"text":"information for underwriting purposes. For purposes of this Section, ‘underwriting","paragraph_id":"para_195"},{"text":"purposes’ means, with respect to an insurer:","paragraph_id":"para_196"},{"text":"- 6 -","paragraph_id":"para_197"},{"text":"(1) rules for, or determination of, eligibility (including enrollment and continued","paragraph_id":"para_198"},{"text":"eligibility) for, or determination of, benefits under the plan, coverage, or policy","paragraph_id":"para_199"},{"text":"(including changes in deductibles or other cost-sharing mechanisms in return for","paragraph_id":"para_200"},{"text":"activities such as completing a health risk assessment or participating in a wellness","paragraph_id":"para_201"},{"text":"program);","paragraph_id":"para_202"},{"text":"(2) the computation of premium or contribution amounts under the plan, coverage,","paragraph_id":"para_203"},{"text":"or policy (including discounts, rebates, payments in kind, or other premium differential","paragraph_id":"para_204"},{"text":"mechanisms in return for activities, such as completing a health risk assessment or","paragraph_id":"para_205"},{"text":"participating in a wellness program);","paragraph_id":"para_206"},{"text":"(3) the application of any pre-existing condition exclusion under the plan, coverage,","paragraph_id":"para_207"},{"text":"or policy; and","paragraph_id":"para_208"},{"text":"(4) other activities related to the creation, renewal, or replacement of a contract of","paragraph_id":"para_209"},{"text":"health insurance or health benefits.” 410 ILCS 513/20(b) (West 2022).","paragraph_id":"para_210"},{"text":"Flanking section 20(b) are subsections (a) and (c). Neither party disputes that these latter","paragraph_id":"para_211"},{"text":"subsections apply only to accident and health insurance policies. Id. § 20(a), (c).","paragraph_id":"para_212"},{"text":"¶ 26 At the outset, we acknowledge that the language of section 20(b) lends itself to confused","paragraph_id":"para_213"},{"text":"reading. In their pursuit of precision, this section’s drafters have sacrificed clarity. The result","paragraph_id":"para_214"},{"text":"is multiple lawsuits, thousands of dollars in legal bills, and hundreds of hours in labor, all to","paragraph_id":"para_215"},{"text":"make sense of exactly what the above words mean. There is no rule requiring that legislatures","paragraph_id":"para_216"},{"text":"enact opaque legislation. Our review of comparable state laws reveals that it is possible to","paragraph_id":"para_217"},{"text":"regulate insurers and their underwriting practices without resorting to the turgid prose above.","paragraph_id":"para_218"},{"text":"Indeed, the best constructed statutes define not only what the law does regulate, but also what","paragraph_id":"para_219"},{"text":"it does not regulate. See, e.g., Kan. Stat. Ann. § 40-2259(c) (West 2022) (from Kansas,","paragraph_id":"para_220"},{"text":"“[s]ubsection (b) does not apply to an insurer writing life insurance, disability income","paragraph_id":"para_221"},{"text":"insurance or long-term care insurance coverage”). A similar drafting approach here would have","paragraph_id":"para_222"},{"text":"prevented the controversy before us now. Applying this approach in the future will doubtlessly","paragraph_id":"para_223"},{"text":"forestall many similar controversies.","paragraph_id":"para_224"},{"text":"¶ 27 Applying the above principles of statutory interpretation, we can come to no other","paragraph_id":"para_225"},{"text":"conclusion than this: section 20(b) applies only to health insurance underwriting. First, there","paragraph_id":"para_226"},{"text":"is section 20(b)(4). If we do not construe this clause as a “catch-all” provision, encompassing","paragraph_id":"para_227"},{"text":"within the definition of underwriting those activities “related to the creation, renewal or","paragraph_id":"para_228"},{"text":"replacement of a contract for health insurance” besides those already stated in subsections","paragraph_id":"para_229"},{"text":"(b)(1)-(3), what purpose could this clause serve? It cannot be that it introduces these activities","paragraph_id":"para_230"},{"text":"to the definition of underwriting, as subsections (b)(1)-(3) are examples of health insurance-","paragraph_id":"para_231"},{"text":"related activities falling under subsection (b)(4)’s domain. To illustrate, imagine a statute that","paragraph_id":"para_232"},{"text":"seeks to define the commanders-in-chief of the United States military:","paragraph_id":"para_233"},{"text":"“The commanders-in-chief of the United States Military have been:","paragraph_id":"para_234"},{"text":"(1) George Washington;","paragraph_id":"para_235"},{"text":"(2) Abraham Lincoln;","paragraph_id":"para_236"},{"text":"(3) Franklin D. Roosevelt; and","paragraph_id":"para_237"},{"text":"(4) other persons who have held the office of President.”","paragraph_id":"para_238"},{"text":"¶ 28 One cannot conclude that subsection (4) of this fictional statute merely introduces that","paragraph_id":"para_239"},{"text":"presidents may be considered the commanders-in-chief of the United States military. This is","paragraph_id":"para_240"},{"text":"already known because Washington, Lincoln, and Roosevelt were all presidents. Any","paragraph_id":"para_241"},{"text":"- 7 -","paragraph_id":"para_242"},{"text":"interpretation of subsection (4) in this manner would render it redundant. The same logic","paragraph_id":"para_243"},{"text":"applies to the real statute before us. The presence of the word “other” in the Act’s section","paragraph_id":"para_244"},{"text":"20(b)(4) leads us to this same conclusion. In Williams, 2021 IL App (2d) 190971, ¶¶ 11-12,","paragraph_id":"para_245"},{"text":"we rejected Williams’s interpretation of the phrase “willfully and intentionally failed to comply","paragraph_id":"para_246"},{"text":"with [the Freedom of Information Act (5 ILCS 140/1 et seq. (West 2018))], or otherwise acted","paragraph_id":"para_247"},{"text":"in bad faith.” (Emphasis and internal quotation marks omitted.) Williams urged an","paragraph_id":"para_248"},{"text":"interpretation in which civil penalties could be imposed against a public body if either that","paragraph_id":"para_249"},{"text":"public body willfully and intentionally failed to comply with the Act or if the public body acted","paragraph_id":"para_250"},{"text":"in bad faith. Id. ¶¶ 12-14 (“In other words, plaintiff construes the terms ‘willfully and","paragraph_id":"para_251"},{"text":"intentionally’ and ‘in bad faith’ as separate bases for imposing a civil penalty.”). Such an","paragraph_id":"para_252"},{"text":"interpretation, we reasoned, would render superfluous the term “or otherwise.” Id. ¶ 14. We","paragraph_id":"para_253"},{"text":"instead concluded that the phrase was “meant as a catchall to include other actions that","paragraph_id":"para_254"},{"text":"constitute bad faith.” (Emphasis in original.) Id. (“ ‘when a statute provides a list of examples","paragraph_id":"para_255"},{"text":"followed by a catchall term *** the preceding list provides a clue as to what the drafters","paragraph_id":"para_256"},{"text":"intended the catchall provision to mean’ ” (quoting Song fi Inc. v. Google, Inc., 108 F. Supp.","paragraph_id":"para_257"},{"text":"3d 876, 883 (N.D. Cal. 2015))). The same logic applies to the present statute. Just as the","paragraph_id":"para_258"},{"text":"statutory syntax in Williams meant that “bad faith” could be imputed to the term “willfully”","paragraph_id":"para_259"},{"text":"and “intentionally,” the similar syntax here means that we should impute the phrase “activities","paragraph_id":"para_260"},{"text":"related to *** health insurance or health benefits” to all of the examples preceding it. Under","paragraph_id":"para_261"},{"text":"this interpretation, there can be no doubt that section 20(b) does not extend to life insurers.","paragraph_id":"para_262"},{"text":"¶ 29 Second, the principle of noscitur a sociis supports this conclusion as well. Under noscitur","paragraph_id":"para_263"},{"text":"a sociis, “[t]he meaning of questionable words or phrases in a statute may be ascertained by","paragraph_id":"para_264"},{"text":"reference to the meaning of words or phrases associated with it.” (Internal quotation marks","paragraph_id":"para_265"},{"text":"omitted.) Senese v. Village of Buffalo Grove, 383 Ill. App. 3d 276, 279 (2008). “The classic","paragraph_id":"para_266"},{"text":"gloss of noscitur a sociis is that general and specific words which are capable of an analogous","paragraph_id":"para_267"},{"text":"meaning[,] being associated together, take color from each other, so that the general words are","paragraph_id":"para_268"},{"text":"restricted to a sense analogous to the less general.” (Internal quotation marks omitted.) People","paragraph_id":"para_269"},{"text":"v. Taylor, 349 Ill. App. 3d 839, 843 (2004). Put another way, “one knows a word by the","paragraph_id":"para_270"},{"text":"company it keeps.” Id.","paragraph_id":"para_271"},{"text":"¶ 30 For example, in Fischer v. United States, 603 U.S. 480 (2024), the government charged a","paragraph_id":"para_272"},{"text":"January 6 defendant under section 1512 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, which provides as","paragraph_id":"para_273"},{"text":"follows:","paragraph_id":"para_274"},{"text":"“(c) Whoever corruptly—","paragraph_id":"para_275"},{"text":"(1) alters, destroys, mutilates, or conceals a record, document, or other object, or","paragraph_id":"para_276"},{"text":"attempts to do so, with the intent to impair the object’s integrity or availability for use","paragraph_id":"para_277"},{"text":"in an official proceeding; or","paragraph_id":"para_278"},{"text":"(2) otherwise obstructs, influences, or impedes any official proceeding, or attempts","paragraph_id":"para_279"},{"text":"to do so, shall be fined *** or imprisoned not more than 20 years, or both.” 18 U.S.C.","paragraph_id":"para_280"},{"text":"§ 1512(c) (2018).","paragraph_id":"para_281"},{"text":"¶ 31 Because the government accused Fischer of impeding Congressional certification of the","paragraph_id":"para_282"},{"text":"2020 presidential election results, and not of destroying, mutilating, or concealing any object,","paragraph_id":"para_283"},{"text":"it charged Fischer only with “otherwise obstruct[ing] *** any official proceeding” under 18","paragraph_id":"para_284"},{"text":"U.S.C. § 1512(c)(2). Fischer, 603 U.S. at 483-84. The lower court dismissed this charge, and","paragraph_id":"para_285"},{"text":"the Supreme Court concurred. Applying noscitur a sociis, it interpreted the general term","paragraph_id":"para_286"},{"text":"“otherwise obstruct” in light of its neighboring words: “record, document, or other object,”","paragraph_id":"para_287"},{"text":"- 8 -","paragraph_id":"para_288"},{"text":"and concluded that section 1512(c)(2) “ma[de] it a crime to impair the availability or integrity","paragraph_id":"para_289"},{"text":"of records, documents, or objects *** in ways other than those specified in (c)(1).” Id. at 489-","paragraph_id":"para_290"},{"text":"91. Accordingly, Fischer’s interruption of a congressional vote—without more—could not","paragraph_id":"para_291"},{"text":"satisfy section 1512’s elements.","paragraph_id":"para_292"},{"text":"¶ 32 Here, we must define the scope of the general phrase “underwriting purposes.” To do so,","paragraph_id":"para_293"},{"text":"we look for the company that it keeps. Section 20(b)(1) speaks of benefit eligibility based upon","paragraph_id":"para_294"},{"text":"health assessments or wellness programs. Subsection (b)(2) again references health","paragraph_id":"para_295"},{"text":"assessments, but this time in relation to insurance premiums. Subsection (b)(3) addresses","paragraph_id":"para_296"},{"text":"preexisting conditions, and subsection (b)(4) pertains to “other activities” related to health","paragraph_id":"para_297"},{"text":"insurance contracts. Every clause that follows the term “underwriting purposes” mentions","paragraph_id":"para_298"},{"text":"health insurance or some activity related to health insurance. No clause mentions life insurance","paragraph_id":"para_299"},{"text":"or something exclusively related to life insurance. If the general term “underwriting purposes”","paragraph_id":"para_300"},{"text":"is to “take color” from the specific words which succeed it, we can only conclude that","paragraph_id":"para_301"},{"text":"“underwriting purposes” means only health insurance underwriting purposes.","paragraph_id":"para_302"},{"text":"¶ 33 Third, a related yet distinct principle of statutory interpretation is ejusdem generis. This","paragraph_id":"para_303"},{"text":"doctrine provides that “when a statutory clause specifically describes several classes of persons","paragraph_id":"para_304"},{"text":"or things and then includes ‘other persons or things,’ the ‘other’ is interpreted as meaning","paragraph_id":"para_305"},{"text":"‘other such like.’ ” (Internal quotation marks omitted.) In re Jose A., 2018 IL App (2d) 180170,","paragraph_id":"para_306"},{"text":"¶ 32. Put another way, the “general word or phrase will be interpreted to include only persons","paragraph_id":"para_307"},{"text":"or things of the same type as those listed.” (Internal quotation marks omitted.) Team Illinois","paragraph_id":"para_308"},{"text":"Hockey Club, Inc., 2022 IL App (2d) 210568, ¶ 28. For example, “the phrase ‘other sports’ in","paragraph_id":"para_309"},{"text":"a provision referring to walking, swimming, biking, running, and other [such like] sports would","paragraph_id":"para_310"},{"text":"probably be read to exclude automobile racing.” (Internal quotation marks omitted.) Id.","paragraph_id":"para_311"},{"text":"¶ 34 We agree with Reynolds that applying this doctrine is inappropriate here. We conclude","paragraph_id":"para_312"},{"text":"this, however, because ejusdem generis exists to clarify ambiguities inherent to an","paragraph_id":"para_313"},{"text":"“unarticulated” class of persons or things. See Board of Trustees of Southern Illinois University","paragraph_id":"para_314"},{"text":"v. Department of Human Rights, 159 Ill. 2d 206, 211 (1994). No such ambiguity exists under","paragraph_id":"para_315"},{"text":"section 20(b). Rather, section 20(b)(4) “articulates” the class of “other activities” as those","paragraph_id":"para_316"},{"text":"which are “related to the creation, renewal, or replacement of a contract of health insurance or","paragraph_id":"para_317"},{"text":"health benefits.” 410 ILCS 513/20(b)(4) (West 2022). If section 20(b)(4) instead read merely","paragraph_id":"para_318"},{"text":"“other activities,” applying ejusdem generis would result in us interpreting that phrase as other","paragraph_id":"para_319"},{"text":"activities “such like” those already listed, i.e., other activities related to health insurance or","paragraph_id":"para_320"},{"text":"health benefits. The statute’s language is precise enough, however, that it effectively does this","paragraph_id":"para_321"},{"text":"job for us. Accordingly, the very reason for this doctrine’s inapplicability confirms that the","paragraph_id":"para_322"},{"text":"statute defines a limited class of activities: those related exclusively to health insurance.","paragraph_id":"para_323"},{"text":"¶ 35 E. Section 20(e) Does Not Support Reynolds’s","paragraph_id":"para_324"},{"text":"Interpretation of Section 20(b)","paragraph_id":"para_325"},{"text":"¶ 36 The Act’s section 20(e) prohibits “compan[ies] providing direct-to-consumer commercial","paragraph_id":"para_326"},{"text":"genetic testing *** from sharing any genetic test information or other personally identifiable","paragraph_id":"para_327"},{"text":"information about a consumer with any health or life insurance company without written","paragraph_id":"para_328"},{"text":"consent from the consumer.” Id. § 20(e). This section, Reynolds insists, “close[s] a loophole","paragraph_id":"para_329"},{"text":"by which insurers could possibly obtain genetic testing information” for life insurance","paragraph_id":"para_330"},{"text":"underwriting purposes.","paragraph_id":"para_331"},{"text":"- 9 -","paragraph_id":"para_332"},{"text":"¶ 37 This section, however, contemplates that insurers may obtain genetic testing information,","paragraph_id":"para_333"},{"text":"provided that the genetic testing company first obtains “written consent from the consumer.”","paragraph_id":"para_334"},{"text":"Id. Insofar as a health insurer obtains genetic information from “[a] company providing direct-","paragraph_id":"para_335"},{"text":"to-consumer commercial genetic testing,” its use is subject to section 20(c), which allows","paragraph_id":"para_336"},{"text":"insurers to consider genetic information “if the individual voluntarily submits the results and","paragraph_id":"para_337"},{"text":"the results are favorable to the individual.” Id. § 20(c), (e). In contrast, a life insurer that","paragraph_id":"para_338"},{"text":"receives such information is not subject to the provisions of section 20(c), nor to any","paragraph_id":"para_339"},{"text":"comparable section pertaining specifically to life insurers. Section 20(e) is therefore","paragraph_id":"para_340"},{"text":"illuminating, albeit not for the reasons Reynolds suggests. It demonstrates that the General","paragraph_id":"para_341"},{"text":"Assembly contemplated that both health and life insurers would seek consumer information","paragraph_id":"para_342"},{"text":"from genetic testing companies. Despite this knowledge, the General Assembly limited only","paragraph_id":"para_343"},{"text":"health insurers’ use to that which is “favorable to the individual.” No such limitation exists for","paragraph_id":"para_344"},{"text":"life insurers. This suggests the General Assembly was both aware of, and comfortable with,","paragraph_id":"para_345"},{"text":"the broad utilization of genetic information for life insurance purposes. Accordingly, section","paragraph_id":"para_346"},{"text":"20(e) reinforces the conclusion that the Act’s underwriting limitations apply solely to health","paragraph_id":"para_347"},{"text":"insurers.","paragraph_id":"para_348"},{"text":"¶ 38 F. Legislative History Does Not Support","paragraph_id":"para_349"},{"text":"Reynolds’s Reading of Section 20(b)","paragraph_id":"para_350"},{"text":"¶ 39 To the extent this court finds the term “underwriting purposes” to be ambiguous, we may","paragraph_id":"para_351"},{"text":"look to section 20(b)’s legislative history. Krohe v. City of Bloomington, 204 Ill. 2d 392, 398","paragraph_id":"para_352"},{"text":"(2003). “When interpreting an ambiguous phrase in a statute, our supreme court looks","paragraph_id":"para_353"},{"text":"especially to the remarks of the bill’s sponsor.” Maschek v. City of Chicago, 2015 IL App (1st)","paragraph_id":"para_354"},{"text":"150520, ¶ 62; see Krohe, 204 Ill. 2d at 398.","paragraph_id":"para_355"},{"text":"¶ 40 The General Assembly first enacted the Act in 1998. At that time, due to pressure from the","paragraph_id":"para_356"},{"text":"life insurance industry, the Act’s sponsors made plain that the legislation did not extend to life","paragraph_id":"para_357"},{"text":"insurance. In the House, Representative Moffitt stated “[t]his legislation does not include life","paragraph_id":"para_358"},{"text":"insurance, since our objective was to make sure there is no discrimination on other insurance,","paragraph_id":"para_359"},{"text":"essentially health insurance and employment.” 90th Ill. Gen. Assem., House Proceedings, Apr.","paragraph_id":"para_360"},{"text":"15, 1997, at 184 (statements of Representative Moffitt). Similarly, the Act’s Senate sponsor","paragraph_id":"para_361"},{"text":"noted: “one of the other objections was that life insurance could be a problem, that someone","paragraph_id":"para_362"},{"text":"could be tested and find out that there’s a—a long-term problem and run out and purchase life","paragraph_id":"para_363"},{"text":"insurance without disclosing that information. We have removed life insurance from this bill","paragraph_id":"para_364"},{"text":"***.” (Emphasis added.) 90th Ill. Gen. Assem., Senate Proceedings, Mar. 20, 1997, at 143","paragraph_id":"para_365"},{"text":"(statements of Senator Hawkinson).","paragraph_id":"para_366"},{"text":"¶ 41 Spurred by Congress’s passage of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008","paragraph_id":"para_367"},{"text":"(42 U.S.C. § 2000ff et seq. (2018)), the General Assembly began amending the Act to","paragraph_id":"para_368"},{"text":"“harmonize[ ]” it with the federal statute. 95th Ill. Gen. Assem., House Proceedings, May 30,","paragraph_id":"para_369"},{"text":"2008, at 30 (statements of Representative Ryg). The General Assembly added section 20(b) in","paragraph_id":"para_370"},{"text":"2014, soon after the Department of Health and Human Services promulgated a substantively","paragraph_id":"para_371"},{"text":"identical regulation in accordance with the federal statute’s directives. See 45 C.F.R.","paragraph_id":"para_372"},{"text":"§ 164.502(a)(5)(i) (2014). The amendment’s Senate sponsor explained that the amendment’s","paragraph_id":"para_373"},{"text":"purpose was to “update[ ] laws related to the disclosure of *** genetic information to protect","paragraph_id":"para_374"},{"text":"the disclosure of such personal health information according to *** HIPAA.” 98th Ill. Gen.","paragraph_id":"para_375"},{"text":"Assem., Senate Proceedings, May 19, 2014, at 26 (statements of Senator Hunter). It is beyond","paragraph_id":"para_376"},{"text":"- 10 -","paragraph_id":"para_377"},{"text":"dispute that the HIPAA regulation that spurred the 2014 amendment does not apply to life","paragraph_id":"para_378"},{"text":"insurers. See 42 U.S.C. § 300gg-53 (2018); Thompson v. Washington National Insurance Co.,","paragraph_id":"para_379"},{"text":"No. 2:14-cv-00660, 2015 WL 8346166, at *2 (D. Utah Dec. 8, 2015). If section 20(b) exists to","paragraph_id":"para_380"},{"text":"harmonize Illinois law with federal law and the comparable federal regulation unambiguously","paragraph_id":"para_381"},{"text":"does not apply to life insurers, then absent clear language to the contrary, we can only conclude","paragraph_id":"para_382"},{"text":"that section 20(b) likewise does not apply to life insurers. To find otherwise would be to rewrite","paragraph_id":"para_383"},{"text":"the law.","paragraph_id":"para_384"},{"text":"¶ 42 Moreover, as the amicus brief notes, the 2014 amendment passed without any fanfare from","paragraph_id":"para_385"},{"text":"the life insurance industry. This was in marked contrast to 1998, when lawmakers needed to","paragraph_id":"para_386"},{"text":"repeatedly reassure life insurers that the Act would not reach their industry’s long-standing","paragraph_id":"para_387"},{"text":"practices. It strains credulity to believe that, in passing section 20(b), the General Assembly at","paragraph_id":"para_388"},{"text":"once radically upended life-insurance underwriting practices but did so with such stealth that","paragraph_id":"para_389"},{"text":"the law’s effect escaped notice not only at the time, but for more than a decade afterward.","paragraph_id":"para_390"},{"text":"Indeed, so esoteric must this change have been, that even lawmakers themselves were unaware","paragraph_id":"para_391"},{"text":"of the change. See 104th Ill. Gen. Assem., House Bill 2534, 2025 Sess.; 104th Ill. Gen. Assem.,","paragraph_id":"para_392"},{"text":"Senate Bill 250, 2025 Sess. (proposing a ban on life insurers from using genetic information","paragraph_id":"para_393"},{"text":"in their underwriting).","paragraph_id":"para_394"},{"text":"¶ 43 While the plain language of the statute is sufficient to conclude that section 20(b) does not","paragraph_id":"para_395"},{"text":"apply to life insurance underwriting, to the extent its review is necessary, the relevant","paragraph_id":"para_396"},{"text":"legislative history confirms the statute’s plain language. Against all this evidence, Reynolds","paragraph_id":"para_397"},{"text":"urges us to conclude that section 20(b) applies to life insurers. Because the legislature does not","paragraph_id":"para_398"},{"text":"“hide elephants in mouseholes,” we cannot accept such an interpretation. (Internal quotation","paragraph_id":"para_399"},{"text":"marks omitted.) People ex rel. Ryan v. Agpro, Inc., 214 Ill. 2d 222, 228 (2005).","paragraph_id":"para_400"},{"text":"¶ 44 III. 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