Bills Would Address Disparities in Minorities’ Health Outcomes

Research demonstrates that racial and ethnic minorities generally receive poorer health care than the majority population and have worse health outcomes on a number of measures. Three bills introduced in the Illinois General Assembly would attempt to combat the problem of disparities in health outcomes based on race, ethnicity, religion, and sexuality. This legislation is supported by a coalition that includes the Illinois Public Health Institute, Heartland Alliance for Human Needs and Human Rights, the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law, and the Illinois Hospital Association.

Sen. William Delgado introduced all three bills in the Senate, and the same legislation will be introduced in the House. Senate Bill 545 would provide for a culturally competent health care demonstration program. National standards indicate that cultural competence—the ability of health care providers to understand and respond to the cultural and linguistic needs brought by patients to the health care encounter—are an important aspect of the quality of health care delivered to racial, ethnic, religious, and sexual minorities. The demonstration program established by S.B. 545 would build on the 2007 State Health Improvement Plan, which calls for increased cultural competence in Illinois health care settings. The bill would provide the Illinois Department of Public Health with authority, subject to appropriation, to award grants to health care entities across the state to establish models that reflect best practices in and expand the delivery of culturally competent health care. The demonstration program would include a collaborative learning project among the grantees to share effective practices and an evaluation of the program’s effect on the quality of patient care.

S.B. 544 would increase the language assistance requirements on hospitals and long-term care facilities. All hospitals and long-term care facilities would be required to adopt and review annually a policy for providing language assistance services to patients with language or communication barriers. This policy must include procedures for providing, to the extent possible as determined by the facility, the use of an interpreter whenever language or communication is a problem; be designed to maximize efficient use of interpreters and minimize delays in providing interpreters to patients; and ensure, to the extent possible as determined by the facility, that interpreters are available, either on the premises or accessible by telephone, 24 hours a day. The facility must annually transmit to the Department of Public Health a copy of the updated policy that includes a description of the facility’s efforts to ensure adequate and speedy communication between patients with language or communication barriers and staff.

S.B. 544 would require hospitals and long-term care facilities to post, in conspicuous locations, notices that advise patients and their families of the availability of interpreters, the procedure for obtaining an interpreter, and the telephone numbers to call for filing complaints concerning interpreter service problems, including, but not limited to, a TDD (telecommunications device for the deaf) number for the hearing-impaired. S.B. 544 would require hospitals and long-term care facilities to notify the facility’s employees of the language services available at the facility and train them on how to make these language services available to patients.

S.B. 547 would create a health data task force. The task force would develop a plan for a linked health data system that measures, analyzes, and reports on the health status of Illinois residents, including those affected by health disparities. The task force would be composed of representatives from several affected state agencies and up to 20 public members appointed by the governor. The plan would address privacy and other legal issues, data system compatibility issues, and other complicated, technical issues. The development of this plan is a vital step in assessing the extent of health care disparities in Illinois.

For more information about the three bills, contact Dan Lesser, danlesser@povertylaw.org.