The proposed moratorium, part of an expansive bill to tackle racial inequities in healthcare, passed the state legislature and awaits Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s signature. In a statement, Mr. Prizker called the bill a “remarkable piece of legislation.”
The bill would allow the Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board to defer action on closure applications until the state disaster declaration ends, the federal public health emergency expires or until July 1, whichever occurs later.
The board would also be able to hold off on earlier applications that are pending before the board for 60 days.
The measure follows controversy over the potential closure of Mercy Hospital & Medical Center, a safety-net facility in Chicago.
“There are other safety net hospitals that are in trouble … and we’ve got to put a stop to this now,” Illinois Sen. Mattie Hunter, D-Chicago, who sponsored the bill, told the Tribune.
A previous version of the bill proposed a moratorium on hospital closures for three years. Healthcare groups negotiated with lawmakers to change the timeline to the length of the pandemic, according to the Tribune.
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