Healthcare

Amends the Regulatory Sunset Act. Changes the repeal date of the Illinois Dental Practice Act from January 1, 2026 to January 1, 2036. Amends the Illinois Dental Practice Act. In the definition of "branches of dentistry", adds oral and maxillofacial pathology, dental public health, oral medicine, and orofacial pain to the included specialties. Creates a temporary dental hygiene license for dental students who meet certain requirements. Provides that a licensee holding a temporary dental hygiene license must practice under the supervision of a dentist. Provides that the temporary dental hygiene license is active for one year from its issuance date. Changes the implementation deadline for an order regarding the services that are necessary to be performed on a patient who is in a State or federal prison and who cannot travel to a dental office to 180 days of the order's issuance (rather than 45 days of the order's issuance). Removes language providing that provisions concerning public health dentistry are inoperative on and after January 1, 2026. Effective immediately.

Appropriates $2 from the General Revenue Fund to the Illinois Comprehensive Health Insurance Plan Board for its FY26 ordinary and contingent expenses. Effective July 1, 2025.

Amends the Medical Assistance Article of the Illinois Public Aid Code. Requires hospitals and birthing centers to adopt and maintain written policies and procedures authorizing a patient enrolled in the medical assistance program to select an Illinois Medicaid certified and enrolled doula of the patient's choice to accompany the patient within the facility's premises for the purposes of providing support before, during, and after labor and childbirth, and during the patient's entire postpartum stay. Provides that the doula shall be considered part of the patient's care team and shall not be counted as a support person or against any guest quota. Requires hospitals and birthing centers to provide a written copy of their policies and procedures to maternity patients, the facilities' maternity health care providers, and any other person at the patient's request. Requires publication of the written policies on each facility's website. Contains provisions concerning hospital and birthing center liaisons and doulas certification acknowledgment requirements. Permits the Department of Healthcare and Family Services and the Department of Public Health to establish standing recommendations to meet Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services requirements and ensure access to preventive services, including Medicaid-covered maternal and reproductive health supports and services.

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 all medically necessary diagnostic testing and U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved treatments or medications prescribed to slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease or another related dementia, in accordance with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration label, as determined by a physician licensed to practice medicine in all its branches. Provides that coverage of U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved treatments or medications prescribed to slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease or another related dementia shall not be subject to step therapy. Amends the Counties Code, the Illinois Municipal Code, the School Code, the Health Maintenance Organization Act, the Limited Health Service Organization Act, and the Voluntary Health Services Plans Act to require coverage under those provisions. Effective immediately.

Creates the Artificial Intelligence Systems Use in Health Insurance Act. Provides that the Department of Insurance's regulatory oversight of insurers includes oversight of an insurer's use of AI systems to make or support adverse determinations that affect consumers. Provides that any insurer authorized to operate in the State is subject to review by the Department in an investigation or market conduct action regarding the development, implementation, and use of AI systems or predictive models and the outcomes from the use of those AI systems or predictive models. Provides that an insurer authorized to do business in Illinois shall not issue an adverse consumer outcome with regard to the denial, reduction, or termination of insurance plans or benefits that result solely from the use or application of any AI system or predictive model. Provides that any decision-making process for the denial, reduction, or termination of insurance plans or benefits that results from the use of AI systems or predictive models shall be meaningfully reviewed, in accordance with review procedures determined by Department rules, by an individual with authority to override the AI systems and determinations. Authorizes the Department to adopt emergency rules to implement the Act and to adopt rules concerning standards for full and fair disclosure of an insurer's use of AI systems. Makes a conforming change in the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act.

Amends the Children and Family Services Act. Provides that all youth in care shall be assigned a mental health provider to manage their mental health care needs. Requires a youth's mental health provider to visit the youth and conduct a well-being assessment within 30 days after the youth is removed from his or her home and placed in the temporary custody or guardianship of the Department of Children and Family Services. Provides that additional follow-up visits and well-being checks shall be scheduled and conducted until the youth is no longer under the custody or guardianship of the Department. Provides that any mental health care services provided to the youth shall be in addition to any care or services the youth receives from his or her primary care provider. Grants the Department rulemaking authority.

Amends the Underserved Health Care Provider Workforce Act. Changes the definition of "designated shortage area" to mean an area designated as a medically underserved area or a health professional shortage area (rather than a physician shortage area, a medically underserved area, or a critical health manpower shortage area). Changes the term "eligible medical student" to "eligible student", and includes in the definition of that term a person who is studying optometry in an optometry college or institution located in Illinois and that a person may agree to practice full-time in a designated shortage area as an optometrist or anesthesiologist one year for each year he or she is a scholarship recipient. Includes a rural health center, a federally qualified health center, a federally qualified health center look alike, and an optometric office in the definition of "medical facility". Includes an optometrist in the definition of "eligible health care provider". Includes an obstetrician or gynecologist in the definition of "primary care physician". Includes loan repayment recipients in a provision regarding scholarship recipients who fail to fulfill specified obligations, and provides that the amounts paid by these scholarship or loan repayment recipients shall be deposited into the fund where the payment originated from (rather than the Community Health Center Care Fund). Repeals a different provision defining "primary care physician". Effective January 1, 2026.

Amends the Administration Article of the Illinois Public Aid Code. Requires the Department of Healthcare and Family Services, in consultation with the Department of Human Services, to submit the necessary application to the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to amend the State's home and community-based services waiver programs for children and adults with developmental disabilities to provide coverage under the Home-Based Services Program for any therapeutic recreation programs offered by park districts, health clubs, and community colleges.

Amends the Comprehensive Healthcare Workforce Planning Act. Requires the State Healthcare Workforce Council to coordinate the State's health workforce education and training to develop a health workforce that meets the State's health care needs. Requires the Council to work with graduate medical education and training programs, health professions, and consumer representatives to address specified issues. Amends the Board of Higher Education Act. Requires the Board of Higher Education to establish a program to provide: (1) funding for medical residency positions that are not funded by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services or other established funding source; (2) technical assistance for entities that wish to establish a residency program; and (3) startup funding for entities that wish to establish a residency program. Sets forth provisions concerning the application process and priority. Requires the Board to establish an application process for an entity seeking funding. Provides that the State Healthcare Workforce Council shall provide information annually to the Board related to workforce shortages to assist in the development of the application and shall be responsible for reviewing applications and making recommendations to the Board regarding funding recipients. Creates the Medical Residency Education Fund to expand graduate medical education opportunities in the State and maximize the delivery of medical care and physician services to specific areas of the State where there is a recognized unmet priority need for medical care and physician services. Makes other changes. Makes a conforming change in the State Finance Act.

Urges the State to increase reimbursement rates, state grants and contracts, and the minimum overhead allowance to meet the rising costs of providing essential human services in Illinois and supporting the workers who deliver those services.