IHA Daily Briefing: October 16

Gov. Pritzker Announces $1.4 Billion in Medical Debt Erased for Nearly 700,000 Illinoisans
Two years after the launch of the Illinois Medical Debt Relief Program, Governor JB Pritzker announced on Thursday that more than $1.4 billion in total medical debt has been eliminated for nearly 700,000 Illinoisans across all 102 counties.

According to a news release, Illinois has surpassed its original goal of erasing $1 billion in medical debt by more than $400 million. When combined with Cook County's medical debt relief efforts, nearly 1.5 million Illinoisans have had over $2.4 billion in medical debt eliminated, the announcement said.

Every state dollar invested in the Illinois Medical Debt Relief Program erases over $100 in medical debt. Illinois has expended approximately $10 million to eliminate over $1.4 billion in debt in just two years, and over $300 million of medical debt since February. On average, Illinoisans who have received relief saw over $1,200 in debt eliminated, with some individual patients benefitting from tens or hundreds of thousands in relief, including one individual receiving over $900,000 in debt relief.

The Illinois Medical Debt Relief Program is operated in partnership with Undue Medical Debt, a national nonprofit organization that purchases bundled medical debts-often for pennies on the dollar-from health systems and other providers as well as debt collectors and eliminates them for residents with documented financial need.

For more information about Illinois' Medical Debt Relief Program, including eligibility requirements and how to apply, click here.

HFS Stakeholder Webinar Series: Medicaid Changes Under H.R. 1 on Oct. 21
The Illinois Dept. of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) is hosting a webinar, "System Changes: How to Utilize and Assist" for Medicaid provider on Wednesday, Oct. 21 from 1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. CT. This webinar is part of a series focused on the anticipated Medicaid changes under H.R. 1. Additional webinar recordings are also available to view. To register for this webinar, click here.

In addition to this webinar series, HFS has released Phase 2 of their communications toolkit to support stakeholder education and planning efforts. This toolkit encourages broad public awareness on who may be impacted by these changes, who is exempt, and how to meet the new requirements and continue Medicaid coverage. These resources include the toolkit presentation, flyer, and palm card.

Additionally, to help hospitals and health systems prepare for these changes and support patients who may be at risk of losing coverage, IHA has launched a new H.R. 1 Resources webpage, "What's at Stake? Sweeping Medicaid Changes on Jan. 1, 2027." The webpage brings together information and resources to help hospitals understand the changes ahead, educate frontline staff, and prepare to assist patients who may be affected by the new Medicaid community engagement requirements.

Resource: Issue Brief on De-escalation Strategies
Preventing violence in hospitals is a complex challenge that requires a comprehensive and multilayered approach. The American Hospital Association (AHA) recently published an issue brief on how evidence-based de-escalation strategies can help hospitals and health systems prevent violence, improve safety and strengthen trust among patients, families and the workforce. Drawing on research, implementation guidance and real-world examples from member organizations, it provides practical steps for integrating de-escalation into comprehensive workplace violence prevention efforts. Click here to access the issue brief.

IDoA to Assist Older Adults During Medicare Open Enrollment Period
With the Medicare open enrollment period set to begin on Thursday, Oct. 15, older adults looking to change their existing Medicare plan can receive free, personalized assistance through the Illinois Department on Aging's (IDoA) Senior Health Insurance Program (SHIP). To make this process easier for Medicare beneficiaries and their caregivers, Illinois' SHIP program offers statewide health insurance counseling services. SHIP counselors can answer questions about Medicare, Medicare Advantage plans such as HMOs and PPOs, Medicare Part D drug plans, Medicare Supplement policies, Retiree Group Insurance, and other health insurances. All services are free, and SHIP counselors do not sell or solicit any type of insurance.

Aside from open enrollment assistance, SHIP counselors can also help soon-to-be eligible individuals with Medicare sign-up questions. To find a SHIP counselor near you, call the statewide Senior HelpLine at 1-800-252-8966 or email [email protected]. For general information about the SHIP program, click here. Details about Medicare plans can be found at https://www.medicare.gov/.

Emergency Authorization for COVID-19 In Vitro Diagnostics Tests Ending Dec. 26
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a reminder that the declaration supporting the emergency use of COVID-19 in vitro diagnostics tests ends Dec. 26, which is the end of a 180-day transition period from the end of the COVID-19 emergency use authorization (EUA) declarations announced June 30.

In the original notice, the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) determined that there is significantly less demand for in vitro diagnostics for detection and/or diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2, and that there are now over fifty COVID-19 tests that have been granted traditional marketing authorization. The notice also states that the Food and Drug Administration continues to encourage manufacturers of in vitro diagnostics for detection and/or diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 to obtain authorization through traditional premarket pathways as appropriate.

The EUA declarations were issued in 2020 to accelerate access to medical products during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Illinois Respiratory Disease Surveillance Data

The Infectious Respiratory Disease Surveillance Dashboard from the Illinois Dept. of Public Health (IDPH) provides the latest data on hospital visits, seasonal trends, lab test positivity and demographic data. IDPH also tracks COVID-19, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus information through the Illinois Wastewater Surveillance System dashboard.

Briefly Noted

As agentic AI systems become capable of assuming increasingly consequential clinical functions, clear approaches are needed to determine what these systems should be permitted to do, under what conditions, and who is accountable for their actions and outcomes. The American Medical Association (AMA) brought physicians together with those who build, deploy and regulate AI to shape responsible governance in service of better patient care to help develop a governance framework for agentic AI assuming clinical functions. Click here to download the framework, which sets out how the AMA is approaching the governance of agentic AI assuming clinical functions and how the organization will focus its work in this area.

Leading the News

Want to Lower Blood Pressure? A Cardiologist Recommends This 1 Vegetable
NBC News
High blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart disease, so it's important to keep it in check. It's possible to lower blood pressure without medication by losing weight, exercising and eating a healthier diet. One vegetable in particular stands out, says Dr. Annapoorna Kini, a cardiologist at the Mount Sinai Fuster Heart Hospital in New York.

Rush-Endeavor merger faces a test over scale and insurer leverage
Crain's Chicago Business
Rush University System for Health and Endeavor Health want to merge their more than 400 sites of care into one network stretching from each corner of the Chicago area to the other. Before they can, regulators will have to decide whether the combined system would wield enough leverage to dictate prices to insurers.

Chicago safety-net networks merge amid federal focus on value-based care
Crain's Chicago Business
Two Chicago-area healthcare companies that work with safety-net providers have merged, creating a network of nearly 100 Federally Qualified Health Centers and 300 independent practices that manage $3 billion in medical spending.