Health Care Human Services

The health care and human services pillar is primarily focused on creating a more equitable and inclusive health care system in Illinois.

It would put a temporary halt to hospital closures, reform Medicaid managed care organizations, take steps to reduce maternal and infant mortality, improve access to mental health care and substance abuse treatment, and train medical providers to recognize and overcome implicit bias.

Health Care and Human Services Pillar Fact Sheet (HB158)

Sponsor: Majority Caucus Chair Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago)

Hospital and Health Care Reform

  • Requires the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) to develop a program to encourage coordination between Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and hospitals, including but not limited to safety net hospitals, with the goal of increasing care coordination, managing chronic diseases and addressing the social determinants of health by Dec. 31, 2021.
  • Allows an employee to use personal sick leave benefits provided by their employer for the personal care of a parent, mother-in-law, father-in-law, grandparent or stepparent.
    • Worked with Department of Labor on a definition of personal care to allow them to enforce paid sick leave provisions.
  • Allows the Health Facilities and Services Review Board to grant a two month stay on hospital closures.
  • Amends the Hospital Licensing Act and the University of Illinois Hospital Act to require hospitals to provide N95 masks as appropriate to serve patients, based on state and federal recommendations and supply chain disruptions.

Managed Care Organizations (MCOs)

  • Creates the Medicaid Managed Care Oversight Commission within HFS to evaluate the effectiveness of Illinois' managed care program, and to address inadequate levels of care coordination and care planning under MCOs.
  • Creates the Managed Care Oversight Fund as a special fund in the State treasury to be used by HFS to support contracting with women and minority-owned businesses as a part of HFS's Business Enterprise Program requirements.
  • Creates the Medicaid Business Opportunity Commission within the HFS to develop a program to support and grow minority, women and persons with disability-owned businesses.

Mental Health/Substance Abuse/Chronic Illness Stigmas

  • Prohibits state agencies and law enforcement from enforcing certain penalties when the evidence obtained through seeking medical assistance is the sole basis for a violation of parole, mandatory supervised release, probation, conditional discharge, Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) investigation or any seizure of property.
  • Creates the Sickle Cell Prevention, Care, and Treatment Program under IDPH to provide for the prevention, care and treatment of sickle cell disease and educational materials concerning the disease, specifies which program areas IDPH must develop, and specifies program requirements. The bill also creates the Sickle Cell Chronic Disease Fund to provide funding for the implementation of the program and, subject to appropriation, requires IDPH to conduct a study on the prevalence, impact and needs of individuals with sickle cell disease.

Maternal Mortality

  • Creates a safety net hospital grant program of $50 million, subject to appropriation, to preserve or enhance OB/GYN services or other specialty services at the receiving hospital.
  • Requires the Department of Human Services to update the Child Care Assistance Program Eligibility Calculator to include a question on whether the family is applying for child care assistance for the first time or for redetermination.
  • Requires prenatal doula services and evidence-based home visiting program services to be covered under Medicaid.

Equity-Centered Analysis/Reform/ Training

  • Creates the Health and Human Services Taskforce to undertake a systematic review of health and human service departments and programs, with the goal of improving health and human service outcomes for Illinois residents.
  • Creates an Anti-Racism Commission to review all portions of codified state laws through the lens of racial equity and recommend and advocate for policies that improve health in Black and Brown communities and support local, state, regional and federal initiatives that advance efforts to dismantle systemic racism.
  • Creates a Special Commission on Gynecological Cancers to establish a mechanism to determine the prevalence of gynecologic cancers and collect statistics relative to the timing of diagnosis and associated risk factors.
  • Requires the Department of Public Health to present the General Assembly with a State Health Assessment and State Health Improvement plan that assesses and recommends priorities and strategies to improve the public health system, reduce health disparities and promote health equity.
  • Requires health care professionals who have continuing education requirements to complete at least a one-hour course in implicit bias training per renewal period for license or registration renewals occurring on or after January 1, 2022.
  • Creates the Racial Impact Note to require every bill in the General Assembly that could have an impact on racial and ethnic minorities to have a brief explanatory statement or note assessing its impact.