HR0343 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0343 LRB102 18624 MST 26976 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Safety Net hospitals serve a disproportionate share of at-risk patients, who are frequently uninsured; Critical Access Hospitals serve a vital role for residents in rural communities who need access to emergency care; these facilities comprise approximately 5% of U.S. hospitals, but in 2017, they provided 17.4% of uncompensated care, totaling $6.7 billion, and 23% of charity care, which totaled $5.5 billion, up from 20% of all charity care and $5.5 billion in overall uncompensated care in 2016; and

WHEREAS, These facilities serve communities in which 22.3 million individuals live below the poverty line, 9.9 million struggle with food insecurity, and three-quarters are uninsured or covered by Medicaid or Medicare; and

WHEREAS, Illinois rapidly expanded Medicaid managed care over the past several years, moving from covering 10 percent of beneficiaries in parts of the State to two-thirds in every county (now 2.2 million beneficiaries); although the Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) launched the program by its deadline of January 1, 2015, Medicaid managed care has failed to realize the promise of increased care coordination, improved patient outcomes, greater efficiencies, and cost savings; and

WHEREAS, Hospitals continue to face an overwhelming range of challenges that undermine the program, including initial claim denial rates that remain high, long payment delays, and administrative burdens requiring substantial resources and clinical staff time to meet myriad authorization requirements imposed by Managed Care Organizations (MCOs); and

WHEREAS, Claim denials and payment delays are putting extreme financial pressure on Safety Net and Critical Access hospitals, which jeopardizes access to care for low-income and vulnerable communities in urban and rural Illinois; and

WHEREAS, The COVID-19 public health crisis has highlighted health disparities; African American, Hispanic American, and Asian American individuals have substantially higher rates of infection, hospitalization, and death compared with White people; and

WHEREAS, The Illinois General Assembly has taken steps to support Safety Net and Critical Access hospitals, including encouraging coordination between Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and Safety Net hospitals with the goal of increasing care coordination, managing chronic diseases, and addressing the social determinants of health, permitting Health Facilities and Services Review Board (HFSRB) to defer any pending application to close a hospital for up to 60 days from enactment and authorizing a new Hospital Transformation Program that invests in systemic health care transformation to build a more integrated and coordinated system of care; and

WHEREAS, There is still much to do to ensure our Safety Net and Critical Access Hospitals receive the support they need to serve our communities; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we will work to ensure that every underserved and under-resourced community hospital receives the support it needs; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the General Assembly is urged to work with Safety Net and Critical Access hospitals to determine how best they can be served; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be delivered to all members of the Illinois General Assembly and the Governor's Office.