SPRINGFIELD During the early hours of the morning on one of the last days of the lame-duck session, Illinois lawmakers passed a sweeping piece of legislation that seeks to revamp the way hospital services and health care generally are delivered in communities throughout the state.
The so-called “Hospital Transformation” bill, Senate Bill 1510, House Floor Amendment 3, was not part of the Legislative Black Caucus’ agenda, which was the focus of much of the activity during that session. Unlike those measures, it passed unanimously out of both chambers and will soon head to Gov. JB Pritzker for his signature.
In short, the bill makes about $150 million a year available to local communities to form partnerships that will develop and implement plans that improve medical access, with a focus on the uninsured and Medicaid users. The funds are meant for “integrated” health care, such as community-based services, preventive care, obstetric care, chronic disease management and