Public Act 097-0690
 
SB3261 EnrolledLRB097 19240 RPM 65186 b

    AN ACT concerning health facilities.
 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
 
    Section 5. The Fair Patient Billing Act is amended by
adding Section 27 as follows:
 
    (210 ILCS 88/27 new)
    Sec. 27. Application Procedures for Financial Assistance.
    (a) Applications. The Attorney General shall, by rule,
adopt standard provisions to be included in all applications
for financial assistance no later than June 30, 2013. On or
before January 1, 2013, a statewide association representing a
majority of hospitals may submit to the Attorney General
recommendations concerning standard provisions to be used in an
application for financial assistance, and the Attorney General
shall take those recommendations into account when adopting
rules under this subsection.
    (b) Presumptive Eligibility. The Attorney General shall,
by rule, adopt appropriate methodologies for the determination
of presumptive eligibility no later than June 30, 2013. On or
before January 1, 2013, a statewide association representing a
majority of hospitals may submit to the Attorney General
recommendations concerning those methodologies, and the
Attorney General shall take those recommendations into account
when adopting rules under this subsection.
 
    Section 10. The Hospital Uninsured Patient Discount Act is
amended by changing Section 10 as follows:
 
    (210 ILCS 89/10)
    Sec. 10. Uninsured patient discounts.
    (a) Eligibility.
        (1) A hospital, other than a rural hospital or Critical
    Access Hospital, shall provide a discount from its charges
    to any uninsured patient who applies for a discount and has
    family income of not more than 600% of the federal poverty
    income guidelines for all medically necessary health care
    services exceeding $300 in any one inpatient admission or
    outpatient encounter.
        (2) A hospital, other than a rural hospital or Critical
    Access Hospital, shall provide a charitable discount of
    100% of its charges for all medically necessary health care
    services exceeding $300 in any one inpatient admission or
    outpatient encounter to any uninsured patient who applies
    for a discount and has family income of not more than 200%
    of the federal poverty income guidelines.
        (3) (2) A rural hospital or Critical Access Hospital
    shall provide a discount from its charges to any uninsured
    patient who applies for a discount and has annual family
    income of not more than 300% of the federal poverty income
    guidelines for all medically necessary health care
    services exceeding $300 in any one inpatient admission or
    outpatient encounter.
        (4) A rural hospital or Critical Access Hospital shall
    provide a charitable discount of 100% of its charges for
    all medically necessary health care services exceeding
    $300 in any one inpatient admission or outpatient encounter
    to any uninsured patient who applies for a discount and has
    family income of not more than 125% of the federal poverty
    income guidelines.
    (b) Discount. For all health care services exceeding $300
in any one inpatient admission or outpatient encounter, a
hospital shall not collect from an uninsured patient, deemed
eligible under subsection (a), more than its charges less the
amount of the uninsured discount.
    (c) Maximum Collectible Amount.
        (1) The maximum amount that may be collected in a 12
    month period for health care services provided by the
    hospital from a patient determined by that hospital to be
    eligible under subsection (a) is 25% of the patient's
    family income, and is subject to the patient's continued
    eligibility under this Act.
        (2) The 12 month period to which the maximum amount
    applies shall begin on the first date, after the effective
    date of this Act, an uninsured patient receives health care
    services that are determined to be eligible for the
    uninsured discount at that hospital.
        (3) To be eligible to have this maximum amount applied
    to subsequent charges, the uninsured patient shall inform
    the hospital in subsequent inpatient admissions or
    outpatient encounters that the patient has previously
    received health care services from that hospital and was
    determined to be entitled to the uninsured discount.
        (4) Hospitals may adopt policies to exclude an
    uninsured patient from the application of subdivision
    (c)(1) when the patient owns assets having a value in
    excess of 600% of the federal poverty level for hospitals
    in a metropolitan statistical area or owns assets having a
    value in excess of 300% of the federal poverty level for
    Critical Access Hospitals or hospitals outside a
    metropolitan statistical area, not counting the following
    assets: the uninsured patient's primary residence;
    personal property exempt from judgment under Section
    12-1001 of the Code of Civil Procedure; or any amounts held
    in a pension or retirement plan, provided, however, that
    distributions and payments from pension or retirement
    plans may be included as income for the purposes of this
    Act.
    (d) Each hospital bill, invoice, or other summary of
charges to an uninsured patient shall include with it, or on
it, a prominent statement that an uninsured patient who meets
certain income requirements may qualify for an uninsured
discount and information regarding how an uninsured patient may
apply for consideration under the hospital's financial
assistance policy.
(Source: P.A. 95-965, eff. 12-22-08.)
 
    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
becoming law.