Healthcare (Mental Health)

Amends the End-of-Life Options for Terminally Ill Patients Act. Expands and clarifies definitions. Requires a mandatory mental health evaluation for all patients requesting medical aid in dying. Strengthens informed consent standards and adds a referral to an Ombudsman when financial concerns influence patient choice. Revises attending and consulting physician duties to include enhanced counseling, documentation, and disclosure requirements. Adds explicit safeguards against coercion or undue influence. Requires detailed recordkeeping and safe disposal of unused medication with reporting to the Department of Public Health. Broadens immunity provisions for good-faith compliance and clarifies protections for physicians present at self-administration. Establishes a Medical Aid-in-Dying Ombudsman Program within the Department of Public Health with authority to review compliance, investigate complaints, and operate a secure reporting portal and hotline. Imposes comprehensive reporting requirements on physicians and directs the Department to publish annual statistical reports with de-identified demographic and clinical data. Prohibits solicitation of medical aid-in-dying services. Mandates training for participating health care professionals on abuse prevention, bias recognition, and disability-competent care. Revises insurance provisions to ensure coverage parity for hospice and palliative care, restricts insurer communications, and clarifies that self-administration does not affect life or health insurance benefits. Provides that a qualified patient's act of self-administering medication shall be indicated on the death certificate (rather than shall not be indicated on the death certificate).

Amends the Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Code. Provides that whenever psychotropic medication or electroconvulsive therapy is refused under a specified provision at least once that day, the psychiatrist or advanced practice psychiatric nurse (instead of the physician) shall determine and state in writing the reasons why the recipient did not meet the criteria for the administration of medication or electroconvulsive therapy and whether the recipient meets the standard for administration of psychotropic medication or electroconvulsive therapy under a provision concerning the administration of psychotropic medication and electroconvulsive therapy upon application to a court. Provides that a petition requesting that the court authorize treatment with psychotropic medication shall specify the full names of the medications and anticipated range of dosage that comprise such treatment. Provides that no administration of psychotropic medication or electroconvulsive therapy without the informed consent of the recipient may be authorized unless at least one psychiatrist or advanced practice psychiatric nurse who has examined the recipient testifies in person at the hearing. Makes other changes to definitions and provisions concerning administration of psychotropic medication and electroconvulsive therapy upon application to a court.

Amends the Children's Mental Health Act. In provisions concerning the Children's Mental Health Partnership, makes changes to the Partnership's list of duties to include (i) reviewing or facilitating needs assessments (rather than conducting research assessments) to better understand the challenges and gaps of programs, services, and policies related to children's mental health; (ii) monitoring policy development related to children's mental health in Illinois at the local, State, and federal level; and (iii) regularly reviewing aggregate and de-identified data on the need for children's behavioral health services in Illinois that is collected by the Behavioral Health Care and Ongoing Navigation (BEACON) portal to ensure that system transformation can continue to be driven by data. Provides that the Partnership's membership shall include public members who reflect a diversity of sexual orientation; and that all Partnership members shall serve without compensation and with no entitlement to reimbursement for expenses incurred in the performance of their duties. Removes a provision permitting the Partnership to convene study groups. Expands the membership of the adjunct council to include up to 10 youth aged 16 to 25 (rather than up to 6 youth aged 14 to 25) and up to 4 (rather than a minimum of 4) representatives of 4 different community-based organizations that focus on youth mental health. Makes other changes.

Amends the Rebuild Illinois Mental Health Workforce Act. Provides that, subject to federal approval, for dates of service on and after July 1, 2026, the Medicaid reimbursement rates for Assertive Community Treatment and Community Support Team services shall be increased by an amount appropriated for the purposes enumerated in the Act. Effective July 1, 2026.

Amends the Counties Code and the Illinois Municipal Code. Provides that coroners are first-responders for the purposes of provisions requiring a county that is a self-insurer for purposes of providing health insurance coverage for its employees to include mental health counseling for any county employee who is a first responder without imposing a deductible, coinsurance, copayment, or any other cost-sharing requirement on the coverage provided.

Amends the Firearms Restraining Order Act. Changes the definition of "petitioner" to include any medical personnel, social services and mental health personnel, crisis intervention personnel, or education personnel as described in a provision of the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act.

Amends the Community Services Act. Adds community day services to the list of service categories covered under the Act. Defines "community day services" to mean a Home and Community-Based Waiver day program that is certified by the Department of Human Services and provides assistance with gaining, maintaining, or improving skills and functioning to individuals with developmental disabilities. Makes conforming changes to the Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Administrative Act.

Amends the Medical Assistance Article of the Illinois Public Aid Code. Provides that a safety-net hospital includes a behavioral health safety-net provider that: (i) is licensed or certified by the Department of Human Services, or otherwise authorized under State law, to provide behavioral health or substance use disorder treatment services; (ii) meets specified federal requirements for being designated a disproportionate share hospital, as defined by the Department of Healthcare and Family Services; (iii) accepts admissions 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with no blackout periods; (iv) accepts patients who only need mental health or substance use disorder treatment; and (v) has a MIUR of at least 40% and a charity percent of at least 4%, or a MIUR of at least 50%.

Amends the Illinois Insurance Code. Contains findings. Requires each health carrier to annually submit completed templates with both plan-level and carrier-level data to the Director of Insurance in the form, manner, and time prescribed by the Director by no later than July 1 of each year for data from the previous calendar year. Provides that data must be sufficient to support independent technical evaluation and to enable meaningful public understanding of access to and coverage for each facility type and specified professional provider type. Requires each health carrier to report, disaggregated by facility type, professional provider type, youth, adult, in-person, and telehealth, the specified data elements. Requires the Director to post, in an easily accessible, consumer-friendly manner, on a public website, all underlying data and data files reported no later than 3 months after receipt. Sets forth provisions concerning certification of health carriers and administration and enforcement of the provisions. Provides that the data submission requirements apply to health benefit plans issued or renewed on or after January 1, 2027. Effective immediately.

Amends the Community Behavioral Health Care Professional Loan Repayment Program Act. Provides, that to be eligible for assistance under the Community Behavioral Health Care Professional Loan Repayment Program, the Illinois Student Assistance Commission must find that the applicant, among other requirements, at the time of application, is currently working as a behavioral health professional in a community mental health center. Provides that an applicant seeking a renewal award in a subsequent year must be employed by a community mental health center, behavioral health clinic, substance use treatment center, or State-operated psychiatric hospital in an underserved or rural federally designated Mental Health Professional Shortage Area in the State at the time of application and must provide evidence of continuous employment for the 12 months that precede the application for renewal. Defines "behavioral health professional". Effective July 1, 2026.