* Big…

The Illinois House has unanimously passed a bipartisan reform package that aims to improve a number of health care programs in the state, including its often griped about Medicaid managed care program.

Under the program, the state pays private insurers a set amount per member per month rather than paying for each medical service provided. It aims to improve people’s health and control costs by ensuring all care is appropriate and high quality. But hospitals say it’s costing them money, as medical claims denied for administrative reasons cause significant reimbursement delays.

S.B. 1321 aims to improve aspects of the program that seem to be causing hospitals the most grief, including requiring insurers to pay complete claims within 30 days or face a penalty. The bill now moves to the Senate.

It also requires the Department of Healthcare & Family Services, the agency that oversees Medicaid, to maintain a provider complaint portal, through which doctors can submit unresolved disputes with insurers. Hospitals have long requested more oversight from the agency.

* Press release…

The following can be attributed to Khadine Bennett, Advocacy and Intergovernmental Affairs Director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois:

“The U.S. Supreme Court ruled last year that cell phone users have a reasonable expectation of privacy regarding their historical cell site location data. Thank you to the Illinois Senate for passing House Bill 2134, which reconciles the Illinois Freedom from Location Surveillance Act (FLSA) with this ruling by requiring law enforcement agencies in Illinois to obtain a court order or warrant before obtaining historical location information from a location device.

“We appreciate the leadership of sponsors Representative Ann Williams and Senator Don Harmon and we look forward to its signature into law by Governor Pritzker.”

* Bloomberg…

Illinois is poised to update its privacy law to require businesses to swiftly report larger data breaches to the state attorney general.

The [House] voted 79-32 to approve Senate Bill 1624 amending the Personal Information Protection Act. The Senate unanimously approved the bill in April, and Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) is expected to sign it into law, according to the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Suzy Glowiak (D).

PIPA doesn’t currently require data collectors to make disclosures to law enforcement,

* Related…

* Tougher regulations on door-to-door energy sales pass Illinois House

* Illinois lawmakers OK bill to remove legal obstacles for those who provide clean needles to heroin users

* Bill headed to Pritzker defines consent for sex ed instruction in Illinois