IHA Daily Briefing: August 10

Governor Signs IHA Priority 340B Legislation into Law
On Friday, Aug. 7, Gov. JB Pritzker signed into law House Bill 2371, the Patient Access to Pharmacy Protection Act, marking a major victory for Illinois hospitals, patients, and communities and the culmination of a sustained advocacy effort by IHA and our members.

Protecting the 340B program was IHA's highest legislative priority during the 2026 spring legislative session. The new law protects 340B-covered entities from pharmaceutical manufacturer restrictions on contract pharmacy arrangements, helping preserve access to medications and the healthcare services supported by 340B savings. It also establishes new transparency requirements designed to provide policymakers and the public with greater insight into how 340B savings are reinvested to benefit patients and communities.

Illinois now joins more than 20 states that have enacted protections for 340B contract pharmacy arrangements. These protections are increasingly important as pharmaceutical manufacturers continue to impose restrictions that threaten hospitals' ability to fully realize the benefits of the federal 340B program.

This outcome would not have been possible without the engagement of IHA members. Hospital leaders participated in advocacy efforts throughout the legislative session, contacted lawmakers, traveled to Springfield and shared concrete examples of how 340B supports patient care in their communities. At a time when hospitals face significant financial and policy headwinds, the Illinois hospital community came together around a shared priority and successfully secured meaningful protections for a program that supports patient care throughout the state.

While enactment of HB 2371 is an important milestone, our work to protect 340B will continue. We anticipate that pharmaceutical manufacturers may challenge the new law in court, as they have done with similar laws in other states. IHA will closely monitor any litigation and implementation developments and will keep members informed.

Health News Illinois: Panel on 'Food Is Medicine in Age of MAHA, SNAP Cuts'
U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has spotlighted nutrition as a key tool in preventing and treating chronic disease. In particular, Secretary Kennedy has targeted ultra-processed foods, sought changes to federal dietary guidelines, and promoted nutrition education in medical schools.

On Aug. 25, Health News Illinois will convene an in-person panel of experts in Chicago from 8:30-10 a.m. CT to discuss the future of the food-as-medicine movement. Panelists will explore how the administration's focus on nutrition could shape the growing movement, particularly as food assistance programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) face funding cuts. Click here to register.

Panelists will include:

• Sana Syal, Senior Director of Programs, Greater Chicago Food Depository
• Julia Bassett, Director of Food Is Medicine-Veggie Rx, Rush University Medical Center
• Ryan Yarrell, Senior Manager of Community Development, Aetna Better Health of Illinois
• Saria Lofton, Assistant Professor, Department of Population Health Nursing Science, University of Illinois Chicago

American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer New Rural Accreditation Category
The American College of Surgeons (ACS) Commission on Cancer (CoC) has introduced a new rural accreditation category to expand access to high-quality cancer care in rural communities, where long travel times and specialist shortages often limit care. Developed with direct input from rural hospitals and practitioners, the new category modifies accreditation requirements, including certain staffing and patient service criteria, while maintaining a strong focus on standards shown to improve the quality of cancer care.

"Research shows that CoC accreditation improves access to high-quality care and enhances outcomes, reducing complications and death," said Ronald J. Weigel, MD, FACS, PhD, medical director of ACS Cancer Programs. "Previously, some rural hospitals could not pursue accreditation due to resource constraints. The new category makes accreditation, and the benefits that accompany it, more attainable by tailoring the standards to the needs and resources of rural hospitals."

Illinois Respiratory Disease Surveillance Data