HB 5537

Abstract

Amends the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Act. Removes an exception for skilled and intermediate long-term care facilities licensed under the Nursing Home Care Act from providing a Safety Net Impact Statement as part of its general review criteria. Includes nursing homes operated by a county in a list of safety net service providers. Provides that facilities operated by a county shall provide in the facility's Safety Net Impact Statement the number of the facility's Medicaid and Medicare certified beds for the 3 fiscal years prior to the application. Requires the State Board Staff Report to include a statement of findings regarding the project's safety net impact under specified circumstances, and that the State Board Staff's assessment shall be considered in determining whether the project fulfills the public interest requirements. Amends the County Homes Division of the Counties Code. Removes a requirement that two-thirds of the county board is required sell, dispose of, or lease for any term, any part of the home properties, and requires a referendum before selling any home (rather than requiring a referendum only for homes that were erected after referendum approval by the voters of the county). Adds referendum language for the selling, disposition of, or lease of a home. House Committee Amendment No. 1 In the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Act, provides that general review criteria shall include a requirement that all health care facilities, including nursing homes operated by a county, but otherwise with the exception of skilled and intermediate long-term care facilities licensed under the Nursing Home Care Act, provide a Safety Net Impact Statement (rather than, in the introduced bill, removal of the exception of skilled and intermediate long term care facilities licensed under the Nursing Home Care Act). Provides that nursing homes (rather than facilities) operated by a county shall also provide the number of the facility's Medicaid and Medicare certified beds for the 3 fiscal years prior to the application. Removes a provision relating to a circumstance when an application for a permit to discontinue or change ownership of a health care facility has been deemed substantially complete but the application was unable to describe specified project impacts. Adds language providing additional requirements for the Health Facilities and Services Review Board Staff Report that shall be considered in evaluating whether an application fulfills the public interest requirements of the Act. Makes a grammatical change. In the Counties Code, removes language providing that, if a county nursing home was erected after referendum approval by the voters of the county, the county nursing home may be leased upon the vote of a 3/5 majority of all the members of the board.