99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2015 and 2016
SB1564

 

Introduced 2/20/2015, by Sen. Daniel Biss

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
745 ILCS 70/2  from Ch. 111 1/2, par. 5302
745 ILCS 70/3  from Ch. 111 1/2, par. 5303
745 ILCS 70/6.1 new
745 ILCS 70/6.2 new
745 ILCS 70/7  from Ch. 111 1/2, par. 5307
745 ILCS 70/9  from Ch. 111 1/2, par. 5309

    Amends the Health Care Right of Conscience Act. Makes changes in the Section concerning findings and policy. Defines "access to care and information protocols" and "material information". Provides that notwithstanding any other law, a health care facility, or any physician or health care personnel working in the facility, may refuse to permit, perform, assist in, counsel about, suggest, recommend, refer for, or participate in health care services because of a conscience-based objection only if the refusal occurs in accordance with written access to care and information protocols designed to ensure that (1) the patient receives material information in a timely fashion; and (2) the refusal will not impair the patient's health by causing delay of or inability to access the refused health care service. Provides that nothing in the Act shall be construed to prevent a health care facility from requiring that physicians or health care personnel working in the facility comply with access to care and information protocols. Makes other changes in Sections concerning: (i) discrimination by employers or institutions; and (ii) liability.


LRB099 05684 HEP 25727 b

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

SB1564LRB099 05684 HEP 25727 b

1    AN ACT concerning civil law.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Health Care Right of Conscience Act is
5amended by changing Sections 2, 3, 7, and 9 and by adding
6Sections 6.1 and 6.2 as follows:
 
7    (745 ILCS 70/2)  (from Ch. 111 1/2, par. 5302)
8    Sec. 2. Findings and policy. The General Assembly finds and
9declares that people and organizations hold different beliefs
10about whether certain health care services are morally
11acceptable. It is the public policy of the State of Illinois to
12respect and protect the right of conscience of all persons who
13refuse to obtain, receive or accept, or who are engaged in, the
14delivery of, arrangement for, or payment of health care
15services and medical care whether acting individually,
16corporately, or in association with other persons; and to
17prohibit all forms of discrimination, disqualification,
18coercion, disability or imposition of liability upon such
19persons or entities by reason of their refusing to act contrary
20to their conscience or conscientious convictions in providing,
21paying for, or refusing to obtain, receive, accept, deliver,
22pay for, or arrange for the payment of health care services and
23medical care; and to ensure that patients receive timely access

 

 

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1to material information and medically appropriate care.
2(Source: P.A. 90-246, eff. 1-1-98.)
 
3    (745 ILCS 70/3)  (from Ch. 111 1/2, par. 5303)
4    Sec. 3. Definitions. As used in this Act, unless the
5context clearly otherwise requires:
6    (a) "Health care" means any phase of patient care,
7including but not limited to, testing; diagnosis; prognosis;
8ancillary research; instructions; family planning,
9counselling, referrals, or any other advice in connection with
10the use or procurement of contraceptives and sterilization or
11abortion procedures; medication; or surgery or other care or
12treatment rendered by a physician or physicians, nurses,
13paraprofessionals or health care facility, intended for the
14physical, emotional, and mental well-being of persons;
15    (b) "Physician" means any person who is licensed by the
16State of Illinois under the Medical Practice Act of 1987;
17    (c) "Health care personnel" means any nurse, nurses' aide,
18medical school student, professional, paraprofessional or any
19other person who furnishes, or assists in the furnishing of,
20health care services;
21    (d) "Health care facility" means any public or private
22hospital, clinic, center, medical school, medical training
23institution, laboratory or diagnostic facility, physician's
24office, infirmary, dispensary, ambulatory surgical treatment
25center or other institution or location wherein health care

 

 

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1services are provided to any person, including physician
2organizations and associations, networks, joint ventures, and
3all other combinations of those organizations;
4    (e) "Conscience" means a sincerely held set of moral
5convictions arising from belief in and relation to God, or
6which, though not so derived, arises from a place in the life
7of its possessor parallel to that filled by God among adherents
8to religious faiths; and
9    (f) "Health care payer" means a health maintenance
10organization, insurance company, management services
11organization, or any other entity that pays for or arranges for
12the payment of any health care or medical care service,
13procedure, or product; .
14    (g) "Access to care and information protocols" means the
15written policies, protocols and procedures described in
16Section 6.1 of this Act; and
17    (h) "Material information" means:
18        (1) all information, pertinent to patient health care
19    decision making and consistent with accepted standards of
20    medical practice, about a patient's condition, prognosis,
21    relevant treatment options, and the risks and benefits of
22    such treatment options; and
23        (2) a written document that contains the names of and
24    contact information for health care facilities,
25    physicians, or health care personnel that can provide the
26    patient the particular form of health care service refused

 

 

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1    because of a conscience-based objection to the health care
2    service, unless the patient has been referred or
3    transferred to a health care facility, physician, or other
4    health care personnel that can provide him or her with the
5    refused health care service.
6    The above definitions include not only the traditional
7combinations and forms of these persons and organizations but
8also all new and emerging forms and combinations of these
9persons and organizations.
10(Source: P.A. 90-246, eff. 1-1-98.)
 
11    (745 ILCS 70/6.1 new)
12    Sec. 6.1. Duty to enact and comply with access to care and
13information protocols. Notwithstanding any other law, a health
14care facility, or any physician or health care personnel
15working in the facility, may refuse to permit, perform, assist
16in, counsel about, suggest, recommend, refer for, or
17participate in health care services because of a
18conscience-based objection only if the refusal occurs in
19accordance with written access to care and information
20protocols designed to ensure that:
21        (1) the patient receives material information in a
22    timely fashion; and
23        (2) the refusal will not impair the patient's health by
24    causing delay of or inability to access the refused health
25    care service.
 

 

 

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1    (745 ILCS 70/6.2 new)
2    Sec. 6.2. Permissible acts related to access to care and
3information protocols. Nothing in this Act shall be construed
4to prevent a health care facility from requiring that
5physicians or health care personnel working in the facility
6comply with access to care and information protocols.
 
7    (745 ILCS 70/7)  (from Ch. 111 1/2, par. 5307)
8    Sec. 7. Discrimination by employers or institutions. It
9shall be unlawful for any public or private employer, entity,
10agency, institution, official or person, including but not
11limited to, a medical, nursing or other medical training
12institution, to deny admission because of, to place any
13reference in its application form concerning, to orally
14question about, to impose any burdens in terms or conditions of
15employment on, or to otherwise discriminate in any way against,
16any applicant, in terms of employment, admission to or
17participation in any programs for which the applicant is
18eligible, or to discriminate in relation thereto, in any other
19manner, on account of the applicant's refusal to receive,
20obtain, accept, perform, counsel, suggest, recommend, refer,
21assist or participate in any way in any forms of health care
22services contrary to his or her conscience.
23(Source: P.A. 90-246, eff. 1-1-98.)
 

 

 

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1    (745 ILCS 70/9)  (from Ch. 111 1/2, par. 5309)
2    Sec. 9. Liability. No person, association, or corporation,
3which owns, operates, supervises, or manages a health care
4facility shall be civilly or criminally liable to any person,
5estate, or public or private entity by reason of refusal of the
6health care facility to permit or provide any particular form
7of health care service which violates the facility's conscience
8as documented in its ethical guidelines, mission statement,
9constitution, bylaws, articles of incorporation, regulations,
10or other governing documents.
11    Nothing in this act shall be construed so as to relieve a
12physician, or other health care personnel, or a health care
13facility from obligations under the law of providing emergency
14medical care.
15(Source: P.A. 90-246, eff. 1-1-98.)