Creates the Hospital Fair Billing and Collection Practices Act. Requires a hospital's governing body to adopt policies: (i) prohibiting abusive, harassing, oppressive, false, deceptive, or misleading language or collection conduct by any collection agency or attorney retained by the hospital for the collection of medical debt, any agent or employee of a collection agency or attorney, or any hospital employee who participates in the collection of medical debt from patients; (ii) establishing the procedures to be utilized by every collection agency retained by the hospital for the collection of medical debt; (iii) establishing the procedures to be utilized by the hospital's employees who participate in the collection of debt; and (iv) establishing procedures for ensuring the timely and accurate submission of claims to third party payors. Prohibits a hospital from selling any debt owed to it by a patient for medical or hospital services, except to a collection agency. Establishes required billing practices for a hospital. Requires a hospital to enter into a written contract with any collection agency or attorney that it retains to collect medical debts from patients and outlines the contract requirements. Provides for civil penalties and injunctive relief. Preempts home rule. Creates the Hospital Fair Billing and Collection Practices Act Enforcement Fund. Provides that the monies in the Fund shall be used by the Attorney General for the enforcement of the Act. Amends the State Finance Act to create the Hospital Fair Billing and Collection Practices Act Enforcement Fund. Amends the University of Illinois Hospital Act to make the collection of hospital service charges by the University subject to the Hospital Fair Billing and Collection Practices Act. Amends the Hospital Licensing Act. Provides that the Director may deny, suspend, or revoke a hospital's license for failure to comply with the provisions of the Hospital Fair Billing and Collection Practices Act. Effective January 1, 2007.
Sponsored bills
Amends the Illinois Public Aid Code. Provides that no later than July 1, 2007, subject to federal approval of a State Medicaid Plan amendment, which shall be sought by the Department of Healthcare and Family Services or its successor agency, persons who fail to qualify for basic maintenance under the Aid to the Aged, Blind or Disabled (AABD) program on the basis of need because of excess income or assets, or both, may establish prospective eligibility for that basic maintenance by paying their monthly Medicaid spend-down amount to the Department of Healthcare and Family Services or by having a third party pay that amount to the Department.
Amends the Line of Duty Compensation Act. Provides that, if no beneficiary is designated or surviving at the death of an Armed Forces member killed in the line of duty, compensation under the Act shall be paid in the following priority: to the surviving beneficiaries designated in the Armed Forces member's Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance Election and Certificate; in accordance with the Armed Forces member's legally binding will; or in accordance with the provisions of the Act that apply to other line-of-duty deaths. Applies if compensation was not paid before the effective date of the amendatory Act. Amends the Illinois National Guardsman's Compensation Act to make conforming changes. Effective immediately.
Congratulates Mrs. Mae Schien on the occasion of her 90th birthday.
Creates the Mercury Switch Removal Act. Provides that mercury switches removed from end-of-life vehicles must be managed in accordance with the Environmental Protection Act and regulations adopted thereunder. Requires vehicle recyclers, vehicle crushers, and scrap metal recyclers that remove mercury switches to maintain certain records and make reports relating to the mercury switches removed. Requires manufacturers of vehicles in Illinois that contain mercury switches to begin a mercury switch collection program, within 60 days of the effective date of this Act, that facilitates the removal of mercury switches from end-of-life vehicles prior to the vehicles being flattened, crushed, shredded, or otherwise processed for recycling. Sets forth that these programs must, to the extent practicable, use the currently available vehicle recycling infrastructure and be designed to achieve a capture rate of not less than (i) 35% for the period of July 1, 2006, through June 30, 2007; (ii) 50% for the period of July 1, 2007, through June 30, 2008; and (iii) 70% for the period of July 1, 2008, through June 30, 2009 and for each subsequent period of July 1 through June 30. Sets forth certain requirements for these collection programs including that each manufacturer adopt an implementation plan for their mercury switch collection program. Provides that if the required capture rates are not met, the Agency shall provide notice to the manufacturers subject to the collection requirements, and that beginning 30 days after the Agency first provides notice, a vehicle recycler that sells, gives, or otherwise conveys an end-of-life vehicle to an on-site or off-site vehicle crusher or a scrap metal recycler must remove all mercury switches from the vehicle prior to its conveyance, and that manufacturers subject to these collection requirements must provide to vehicle recyclers, vehicle crushers, and scrap metal recyclers (i) $2.00 for each mercury switch removed by the vehicle recycler, vehicle crusher, or the scrap metal recycler, (ii) the costs of the containers in which the mercury switches are collected, and (iii) the costs of packaging and transporting the mercury switches off-site. Provides civil penalties for violations of the Act. Authorizes periodic reviews of these programs. Repeals the Act on January 1, 2018. Contains other provisions. Effective immediately.
Urges the U.S. Congress and the President to support legislation that implements key recommendations of the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Strategy, including $300 million dollars in federal FY 2007 funds.
Congratulates the Modenese Society on the occasion of its 100th anniversary.
Amends the Unemployment Insurance Act. Makes a technical change to a Section concerning the definitions of "Director" and "Department".
Congratulates Zion Lutheran Church in Deerfield on the occasion of the celebration of 50 years in the Village of Deerfield.
Amends the Ticket Scalping Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning service charges.