Healthcare

Amends the Medical Assistance Article of the Illinois Public Aid Code. Removes provisions requiring the Department of Healthcare and Family Services to: (i) establish benchmarks for hospitals to measure and align payments to reduce potentially preventable hospital readmissions, inpatient complications, and unnecessary emergency room visits; (ii) publish provider-specific historical readmission data and anticipated potentially preventable targets 60 days prior to the start of the program; and (iii) adopt policies and rates of reimbursement for readmission services and other payments.

Creates the Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Gender Expression in Long-Term Care Bill of Rights Act. Establishes rights for a client who lives in a long-term care facility, or who receives home care services from a home care provider, from discrimination on the basis of actual or perceived sex, actual or perceived sexual orientation, actual or perceived gender identity, actual or perceived gender expression, or actual or perceived HIV status. Provides that an aggrieved person may enforce violations of the Act against a long-term care facility or a home care provider and the staff of the long-term care facility or home care provider through a civil action. Sets forth provisions concerning gender identity in client records; required training for all long-term care facilities and home care providers; arbitration agreements; interpretation of the Act; and enforcement of rights, including civil penalties and other administrative actions. Amends the Assisted Living and Shared Housing Act, the Nursing Home Care Act, and the Home Health, Home Services, and Home Nursing Agency Licensing Act to require compliance with the Sexual orientation, Gender Identity, and Gender Expression in Long-Term Care Bill of Rights Act. Amends the Adult Protective Services Act to include intentional misgendering and unlawful discrimination in the definition of "abuse".

Amends the Illinois Controlled Substances Act concerning the Prescription Monitoring Program. Provides that interstate data sharing agreements shall be mutual. Provides that the Department of Human Services shall only share data if the reciprocal state provides equal access to data of the reciprocating state to all authorized users, licensed health care entities, and application vendors regardless of their method of connection to the Prescription Monitoring Program for interstate data sharing. Effective immediately.

Amends the Department of Public Health Powers and Duties Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Requires the Department of Public Health to establish the Abortion Access Fund Grant Program to award grants from the Abortion Access Fund to support access to abortion care services throughout the State. Provides that grants awarded under the Program shall only be used to fund abortion services for which the use of federal funds is prohibited for patients who are uninsured or underinsured with respect to those services. Allows the Department to establish rules necessary to implement the Abortion Access Fund Grant Program, including eligibility criteria, grant limits, application standards, requirements for the distribution and obligation of grant funds, accounting for the use of the funds, and standards for monitoring compliance with the requirements of the Program. Amends the State Finance Act to create the Abortion Access Fund as a special fund in the State treasury. Amends the Illinois Health Benefits Exchange Law. Requires specified health insurance issuers that have offered one or more qualified health plans through the Illinois Health Benefits Exchange to report to the Department of Insurance an accounting of receipts, disbursements, transfers of funds between accounts, total dollar claims paid, accrued interest, and the year-end balance for each reporting year for the separate allocation accounts that the issuer has established under specified provisions of federal law for abortion services for which federal funding is prohibited. Establishes further reporting requirements for health insurance issuers. Provides that, if the amount of premiums collected during the plan year for abortion services for which federal funding is prohibited exceeds total claims paid for such services rendered during the plan year, the Director of Insurance shall order the health insurance issuer to transfer funds, and the issuer shall complete the transfer, to the Abortion Access Fund. Makes other changes. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Insurance Code. Provides that a group or individual policy of accident and health insurance or a managed care plan that is amended, delivered, issued, or renewed on or after January 1, 2027, shall provide coverage for medically necessary prescribed vitamins. Amends the State Employee Group Insurance Act of 1971, the Health Maintenance Organization Act, the Limited Health Service Organization Act, the Voluntary Health Services Plans Act, and the Illinois Public Aid Code to require coverage under those provisions.

This Illinois House Resolution (HR 620) calls on Congress to reinstate healthcare subsidies that were part of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, which expired on January 1, 2026. It directly addresses Illinois residents, small businesses, and self-employed individuals who rely on the Get Covered Illinois marketplace, as they face significantly higher premiums and deductibles without these subsidies. The resolution requests immediate action to reverse the expiration of these cost-saving subsidies, which the bill claims would prevent up to 140,000 Illinoisans from affording coverage. Note: The resolution inaccurately attributes the subsidy expiration to former President Trump; the Inflation Reduction Act was enacted under President Biden, and subsidies expired due to legislative inaction, not Trump's policies. This is a symbolic resolution, not a binding law.

Amends the Public Higher Education Act. Provides that, beginning with the 2025-2026 school year, each public institution of higher education with student health services shall provide enrolled students with access to health care professionals authorized under State law to prescribe contraception. Provides that, beginning with the 2025-2026 school year, if the public institution of higher education's student health services includes a pharmacy, the pharmacy on campus shall dispense contraception to enrolled students who wish to fill their prescriptions at the university pharmacy. Provides that, beginning with the 2025-2026 school year, each public institution of higher education with student health services shall provide enrolled students with access to health care professionals authorized under State law to prescribe medication abortion. Provides that a public institution of higher education that dispenses medication abortion from the university pharmacy shall enter into a referral agreement with a tertiary care facility with obstetrics and gynecological services in the event of complication from medication abortion or suspected complicated pregnancy prior to dispensing medication abortion. Requires each public institution of higher education to report annually to the Board of Higher Education that policies under the provisions have been adopted. Requires the Board to post to its website annually each public institution of higher education's compliance with the policies under the provisions. Effective immediately.

Amends the Mental Health Early Action on Campus Act. Provides that the expert panel designated by the board of trustees to develop and implement policies and procedures shall be comprised of at least 2 administrators, 2 members of faculty, and one mental health professional. Requires each public college or university to provide at least 3 on-site licensed clinical professional counselors or licensed clinical social workers.

Amends the Clinical Psychologist Licensing Act, the Clinical Social Work and Social Work Practice Act, the Marriage and Family Therapy Licensing Act, the Music Therapy Licensing and Practice Act, and the Professional Counselor and Clinical Professional Counselor Licensing and Practice Act. Allows an applicant for licensure under those Acts to temporarily practice under supervision while the applicant's application for licensure is pending under specified circumstances. Removes good moral character standards as qualification requirements for the licensing of social workers and music therapists. Creates procedures for placing a license on inactive status for social workers and professional counselors. Provides that the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation must allow reasonable exam accommodations for licensed marriage and family therapists and clinical psychologists whose primary language is not English if a test in the therapist's or psychologist's primary language is not available.

Amends the Pharmacy Practice Act. Provides that "practice of pharmacy" includes the assessment and consultation of patients and dispensing of contraceptives, including emergency contraception (rather than the dispensation of hormonal contraceptives). In provisions concerning the dispensation of contraceptives, changes the contraceptives dispensed to contraceptives, including emergency contraception (rather than hormonal contraceptives). Makes conforming changes. Amends the Illinois Public Aid Code. Provides that the medical assistance program shall cover patient care services provided by a pharmacist for contraceptives, including emergency contraception (rather than hormonal contraceptives). Makes conforming changes.