HB 5188

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Full Text of HB5188
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	HB5188 - 104th General Assembly
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104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026
HB5188
Introduced 2/10/2026, by Rep. Lilian Jiménez
SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
20 ILCS 2310/2310-715
Amends Department of Public Health Powers and Duties Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. In provisions regarding a Safety-Net Hospital Health Equity and Access Leadership (HEAL) Grant Program, changes references to safety-net hospitals to references to community safety-net hospitals. Updates references to dates in those provisions. Defines "community safety-net hospital", "health system", and "medically underserved area". Makes changes to required provisions in the report to the General Assembly regarding criteria for a community safety-net hospital to be eligible for the program, deletes required provisions in the report to the General Assembly regarding potential projects eligible for grant funds, and adds required provisions in the report to the General Assembly regarding an application process and criteria, as well as policies, standards, and procedures to administer the program and ensure accountability.
LRB104 18401 BDA 31843 b
A BILL FOR
		HB5188		LRB104 18401 BDA 31843 b
1    AN ACT concerning State government.
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
4    Section 5. The Department of Public Health Powers and
5Duties Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois is
6amended by changing Section 2310-715 as follows:
7    (20 ILCS 2310/2310-715)
8    Sec. 2310-715. Community Safety-Net Hospital Health Equity
9and Access Leadership (HEAL) Grant Program.
10    (a) Findings. The General Assembly finds that there are
11communities in Illinois that experience significant health
12care disparities[, as recently emphasized by the COVID-19 ]
13[pandemic,] aggravated by social determinants of health and a
14lack of sufficient access to high quality health care
15resources, particularly community-based services, preventive
16care, obstetric care, chronic disease management, and
17specialty care. Community safety-net [Safety-net] hospitals, as
18defined under [the] this Section [Illinois Public Aid Code], serve
19as the anchors of the health care system for many of these
20communities. These [Safety-net] hospitals not only care for
21their patients, they also are rooted in their communities and 
22provide [by providing] jobs and partner [partnering] with local
23organizations to help address the social determinants of
		HB5188	- 2 -	LRB104 18401 BDA 31843 b
1health, such as food, housing, and transportation needs.
2    However, community safety-net hospitals serve a
3significant number of Medicare, Medicaid, and uninsured
4patients, and therefore, are heavily dependent on underfunded
5government payers, and are heavily burdened by uncompensated
6care. At the same time, the overall cost of providing care has
7increased substantially in recent years, driven by increasing
8costs for staffing, prescription drugs, technology, and
9infrastructure.
10    For [all of] these reasons, the General Assembly finds that
11the long-term sustainability of community safety-net hospitals
12is threatened. While the General Assembly has provided [is ]
13[providing] funding to the Department to be paid to support the
14expenses of specific community safety-net hospitals in
15previous fiscal years [State Fiscal Year 2023], such annual, ad
16hoc funding is not a reliable and stable source of funding that
17will enable community safety-net hospitals to develop
18strategies to achieve long term sustainability. Such annual,
19ad hoc funding also does not provide the State with
20transparency and accountability to ensure that such funding is
21being used effectively and efficiently to maximize the benefit
22to members of the community.
23    Therefore, it is the intent of the General Assembly that
24the Department of Public Health and the Department of
25Healthcare and Family Services jointly create [provide options ]
26[and recommendations to the General Assembly by February 1, ]
		HB5188	- 3 -	LRB104 18401 BDA 31843 b
1[2023, for the establishment of] a permanent Community
2Safety-Net Hospital Health Equity and Access Leadership (HEAL)
3Grant Program, in accordance with this Section. It is the
4intention of the General Assembly that, beginning in fiscal 
5year 2027 [during State fiscal years 2024 through 2029], the
6Community Safety-Net [Safety-Net] Hospital Health Equity and
7Access Leadership (HEAL) Grant Program shall be supported by
8an annual funding pool of at least [up to] $100,000,000, subject
9to appropriation.
10    (a-5) Definitions. As used in this Section:
11    "Community safety-net hospital" means a hospital that 
12satisfies the criteria under Section 5-5e.1 of the Illinois 
13Public Aid Code and that is not part of a health system with 
14more than $1,000,000,000 in assets.
15    "Health system" means a group of hospitals that are owned 
16and operated by the same entity.
17    "Medically underserved area" means a geographic area with 
18a shortage of primary health care services for residents.
19    (b) By February 1, 2027 [2023], the Department of Public
20Health and the Department of Healthcare and Family Services
21shall provide a joint report to the General Assembly on
22options and recommendations for the establishment of a
23permanent Community Safety-Net Hospital Health Equity and
24Access Leadership (HEAL) Grant Program to be administered by
25the State. [For this report, "safety-net hospital" means a ]
26[hospital identified by the Department of Healthcare and Family ]
		HB5188	- 4 -	LRB104 18401 BDA 31843 b
1[Services under Section 5-5e.1 of the Illinois Public Aid Code. ]
2The Departments of Public Health and Healthcare and Family
3Services may consult with the statewide association
4representing a majority of hospitals and community safety-net
5hospitals on the report. The report may include, but need not
6be limited to:
7        (1) Criteria for a community safety-net hospital to be
8    eligible for the program, such as:
9            (A) The hospital is a community safety-net 
10        hospital as defined in this Section [participating ]
11        [provider in at least one Medicaid managed care plan].
12            (B) The hospital is located in a medically
13        underserved area.
14            [(C) The hospital's Medicaid utilization rate (for ]
15        [both inpatient and outpatient services).]
16            [(D) The hospital's Medicare utilization rate (for ]
17        [both inpatient and outpatient services).]
18            [(E) The hospital's uncompensated care percentage.]
19            (C) [(F)] The hospital is demonstrably working to 
20        expand [hospital's role in providing] access to
21        services, reducing health disparities, and improving
22        health equity in its service area.
23            [(G) The hospital's performance on quality ]
24        [indicators.]
25        (2) Information regarding additional requirements for 
26    the Community Safety-Net Hospital Health Equity and Access 
		HB5188	- 5 -	LRB104 18401 BDA 31843 b
1    Leadership (HEAL) Grant Program, such as:
2            (A) an application process and criteria to 
3        determine which applications should receive funding, 
4        established by the Department of Healthcare and Family 
5        Services and the Department of Public Health, with 
6        formal input from stakeholders; and
7            (B) policies, standards, and procedures developed 
8        by the Department of Healthcare and Family Services 
9        and the Department of Public Health, with formal input 
10        from stakeholders, to both administer the program and 
11        ensure accountability, that include, at a minimum:
12                (i) transparency: participant hospitals must 
13            open all governing board meetings to the public 
14            and include space and time for public comment;
15                (ii) stakeholder oversight or codetermination: 
16            participant hospitals must:
17                    (I) have governing boards comprised of, at 
18                a minimum, 51% community members, frontline 
19                hospital workers, and patients; and
20                    (II) create an advocacy council comprised 
21                of community members, frontline hospital 
22                workers, patients, and other key stakeholders 
23                that has meaningful input into hospital 
24                management and strategic decision making that 
25                meets at least quarterly and upon its own 
26                initiative; and
		HB5188	- 6 -	LRB104 18401 BDA 31843 b
1                (iii) wage and labor standards: participant 
2            hospitals must:
3                    (I) pay workers a living wage;
4                    (II) permit workers to form or join a 
5                labor organization of their choice without 
6                interference from management; and
7                    (III) staff adequately and negotiate a 
8                process for resolving formal objections to 
9                unsafe staffing.
10        [Potential projects eligible for grant funds which may ]
11    [include projects to reduce health disparities, advance ]
12    [health equity, or improve access to or the quality of ]
13    [health care services.]
14        [(3) Potential policies, standards, and procedures to ]
15    [ensure accountability for the use of grant funds.]
16        [(4) Potential strategies to generate federal Medicaid ]
17    [matching funds for expenditures under the program.]
18        [(5) Potential policies, processes, and procedures for ]
19    [the administration of the program.]
20(Source: P.A. 102-886, eff. 5-17-22; 103-154, eff. 6-30-23.)