97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2011 and 2012
HB0223

 

Introduced 01/21/11, by Rep. Mary E. Flowers

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
20 ILCS 4045/Act title
20 ILCS 4045/1
20 ILCS 4045/5
20 ILCS 4045/15
20 ILCS 4045/20
20 ILCS 4045/25
20 ILCS 4045/30 rep.
20 ILCS 4045/35 rep.

    Amends the Health Care Justice Act. Changes the short title to the Health Care Justice Implementation Act of 2011. Provides that the mission goals of the Health Care Justice Implementation Task Force are to monitor the implementation of the federal health care reforms and make recommendations, report concerning additional reforms needed to ensure affordable health care, assess current programs, and issue recommendations concerning the implementation of a statewide health insurance plan offered by the State. Contains provisions concerning reports, public hearings, and research assessments. Effective July 1, 2011.


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A BILL FOR

 

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1    AN ACT concerning health care.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Health Care Justice Act is amended by
5changing the title of the Act and Sections 1, 5, 15, 20, and 25
6as follows:
 
7    (20 ILCS 4045/Act title)
8An Act concerning health to create the Health Care Justice
9Act.
 
10    (20 ILCS 4045/1)
11    Sec. 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Health
12Care Justice Implementation Act of 2011.
13(Source: P.A. 93-973, eff. 8-20-04.)
 
14    (20 ILCS 4045/5)
15    Sec. 5. Legislative findings. The General Assembly
16recognizes that the U.S. census reported that on any given day
17an estimated 1,800,000 Illinoisans are without health
18insurance, and according to a March 2003 Robert Wood Johnson
19study, nearly 30% of the non-elderly Illinois population
20(3,122,000) during all or a large part of 2001 or 2002 were
21uninsured; a growing number of Illinoisans are under-insured,

 

 

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1the consumer's share of the cost of health insurance is
2growing, coverage in benefit packages is decreasing, and record
3numbers of consumer complaints are lodged against managed care
4companies regarding access to necessary health care services.
5With new federal health care reform legislation the number of
6uninsured Illinoisans will decrease dramatically. However,
7there will still be tens of thousands of uninsured Illinoisans.
8The General Assembly believes that the State must work in
9cooperation with the federal government to implement these
10federal reforms effectively and in a thoughtful and expedited
11manner to assure access to quality health care for all
12residents of Illinois, and at the same time, the State must
13contain health care costs while maintaining and improving the
14quality of health care.
15(Source: P.A. 93-973, eff. 8-20-04.)
 
16    (20 ILCS 4045/15)
17    Sec. 15. Health Care Justice Implementation Act of 2011
18care access plan. On or before September 1, 2011 the Health
19Care Justice Implementation Task Force shall be created to
20accomplish, subject to appropriation, the following mission:
21        (1) Monitor the implementation of federal reforms and
22    make recommendations. The Task Force shall monitor the
23    implementation of federal reforms and make recommendations
24    to the executive and legislative branches of Illinois
25    government concerning implementation. The Task Force shall

 

 

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1    file with the General Assembly a recommendation report by
2    January 1st of every year as it pertains to those reforms
3    that will need to be implemented in that year. In addition,
4    a quarterly assessment shall be developed as it pertains to
5    how State government's process of implementing these
6    federal reforms is progressing.
7        (2) Additional recommendations regarding reforms. The
8    Task Force shall issue a report on March 1, 2013 regarding
9    additional reforms needed to fully comply with Section 10
10    of this Act.
11        (3) Assessment of current programs. The Task Force
12    shall issue recommendations and positions on a wide range
13    of issues, as seen fit by Task Force members, as it
14    pertains to existing programs and needed changes to these
15    programs.
16        (4) Recommendations concerning the Illinois State
17    Health Insurance Plan. By March 1, 2013, the Task Force
18    shall recommend a plan for the implementation of a
19    statewide health insurance plan offered by the State to be
20    known as the Illinois State Health insurance Plan, under
21    which any Illinois resident may purchase medical care and
22    services available to recipients of medical assistance
23    under the Public Aid Code. The Illinois State Health
24    Insurance Plan shall be developed and offered as an
25    affordable option that may be selected by a person in
26    relation to the operation of a health insurance exchange in

 

 

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1    this State. The Department of Healthcare and Family
2    Services shall administer the Illinois Health Insurance
3    Plan, either directly or by contract, separate from the
4    plans and programs that it otherwise administers. The Task
5    Force shall include in its recommendations the structure
6    and function of an oversight panel responsible for
7    reviewing and approving the criteria, standards, and
8    procedures for the operation of the plan and for conducting
9    oversight of the operation of the Illinois Health Insurance
10    Plan. The Illinois Health Insurance Plan shall:
11            (A) provide comprehensive health benefits that
12        meet all of the federal requirements for credible
13        coverage, including coverage for doctor visits,
14        hospital care, prescriptions, mental health services,
15        alcohol and substance abuse services, nursing home
16        care, rehabilitation, home health services, eye care,
17        and dental care; and
18            (B) be financed through various means, including,
19        but not limited to, payments of premiums by enrollees,
20        deductibles and copayments, income contributions by
21        enrollees, federal funding, grants and contributions,
22        appropriations of revenues generated under the
23        Illinois Health Insurance Plan, and any other revenue
24        designated by the General Assembly or purposed for
25        health care or health care education. July 1, 2007, the
26        State of Illinois is strongly encouraged to implement a

 

 

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1        health care access plan that does the following:
2        (1) provides access to a full range of preventive,
3    acute, and long-term health care services;
4        (2) maintains and improves the quality of health care
5    services offered to Illinois residents;
6        (3) provides portability of coverage, regardless of
7    employment status;
8        (4) provides core benefits for all Illinois residents;
9        (5) encourages regional and local consumer
10    participation;
11        (6) contains cost-containment measures;
12        (7) provides a mechanism for reviewing and
13    implementing multiple approaches to preventive medicine
14    based on new technologies; and
15        (8) promotes affordable coverage options for the small
16    business market.
17(Source: P.A. 93-973, eff. 8-20-04.)
 
18    (20 ILCS 4045/20)
19    Sec. 20. Adequate Health Care Justice Implementation Task
20Force. There is created a an Adequate Health Care Justice
21Implementation Task Force. The Task Force shall consist of 29
22voting members appointed as follows: 5 shall be appointed by
23the Governor; 6 shall be appointed by the President of the
24Senate, 6 shall be appointed by the Minority Leader of the
25Senate, 6 shall be appointed by the Speaker of the House of

 

 

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1Representatives, and 6 shall be appointed by the Minority
2Leader of the House of Representatives. The Task Force shall
3have a chairman and a vice-chairman who shall be elected by the
4voting members at the first meeting of the Task Force. The
5Director of Public Health or his or her designee, the Director
6of Aging or his or her designee, the Director of Healthcare and
7Family Services or his or her designee, the Director of
8Insurance or his or her designee, and the Secretary of Human
9Services or his or her designee shall represent their
10respective departments and shall be invited to attend Task
11Force meetings, but shall not be members of the Task Force. The
12members of the Task Force shall be appointed within 60 30 days
13after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 97th
14General Assembly and hold its first meeting within 30 days
15thereafter. The departments of State government represented on
16the Task Force shall work cooperatively to provide
17administrative support for the Task Force; the Department of
18Public Health shall be the primary agency in providing that
19administrative support.
20(Source: P.A. 95-331, eff. 8-21-07.)
 
21    (20 ILCS 4045/25)
22    Sec. 25. Public hearings.
23    (a) The Task Force shall seek public input on all 4 of its
24mission goals the development of the health care access plan by
25holding 4 public hearings each year throughout the State a

 

 

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1public hearing in each Illinois congressional district
2starting no later than January 1, 2005 and ending on November
330, 2005. Each State Representative and State Senator located
4in each such congressional district shall be invited to
5participate in each the hearing in that district and help to
6gather input from interested parties. A web site for the Task
7Force shall be developed and linked to the Governor's home page
8for input to be provided and to keep the public informed. The
9Task Force's web site shall be specifically highlighted and
10have independent pages reporting all activities and linkages
11for people to access. Minutes from all of the Task Force's
12meetings shall be available on the web site, and a hard copy of
13this information shall also be made available for those persons
14without access to the Task Force's web site. The Task Force may
15also consult with health care providers, health care consumers,
16hospitals, labor unions, businesses, insurers, pharmaceutical
17manufacturers, and other appropriate individuals and
18organizations to assist in the development of the health care
19access plan.
20    (b) Not later than January 1, 2012 September 1, 2004, the
21Illinois Department of Public Health, subject to appropriation
22or the availability of other funds for such purposes and using
23a public request for proposals process, shall contract with an
24independent research entity experienced in assessing the
25implementation of health care reforms, health care financing,
26and health care delivery models. Upon the request of at least

 

 

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1one-third one-fourth of the Task Force members, the research
2entity shall be available to the Task Force for the purpose of
3assessing other issues that Task Force members deem necessary
4financial costs and the different health care models being
5discussed. All inquiries made by Task Force members to the
6independent research entity shall be made available on the Task
7Force's web site.
8(Source: P.A. 93-973, eff. 8-20-04.)
 
9    (20 ILCS 4045/30 rep.)
10    (20 ILCS 4045/35 rep.)
11    Section 90. The Health Care Justice Act is amended by
12repealing Sections 30 and 35.
 
13    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July 1,
142011.