Hospital Uninsured Patient Discount Act Passes Both Houses Unanimously

Well, we've passed a budget and adjourned (for now). This session has had numerous successes and frustrations, but the story in the link below tells of one of the greatest accomplishments of the year, not only for me personally, but for the 95th General Assembly. Hospitals Back Price Cap for Uninsured

House Amendment Number 2 to Senate Bill 2380 creates the Hospital Uninsured Patient Discount Act which will limit the amount of money that hospitals can charge certain uninsured patients. It will reduce their medical bills by up to 50%.

People with no health insurance usually wind up paying significantly more for hospital care than people with health insurance. A study conducted last year found that hospitals charged the uninsured 2.5 times more than what health insurers paid and more than 3 times more than Medicaid paid for the same services. To me, this is profoundly unfair as these 1.75 million uninsured Illinoisans are generally the least able to afford such discriminatory pricing.

For this reason, I have worked very long and hard over the past three years to get the Hospital Uninsured Patient Discount Act passed. It finally became a reality thanks to intensive work by the Illinois Hospital Association and Attorney General Lisa Madigan, both of whom were supportive of this initiative and worked hard to negotiate an agreement. The bill received unanimous support from both houses and is now on the Governor's desk for signature.