Many barriers to health equity exist in urban and rural communities, including physician workforce shortages, an imminent maternal mortality crisis, budget challenges, and the lack of intergovernmental agency prioritization.
Public Act 104-080 (effective Jan. 1, 2026) establishes the One Health Commission within the Illinois Department of Public Health, focusing on the intersection of human, animal, and environmental health.
Implications for Patient Care: As frontline providers, family physicians are often the first to detect emerging infectious trends, unusual antibiotic resistance patterns, or environmentally linked conditions. Having primary care expertise represented in this Commission ensures policies are informed by relevant patient encounters.
Public Act 104-159 (effective Jan. 1, 2026) expands the Illinois State Police’s initiative and requires professional training on identifying and responding to human trafficking.
Implications for Patient Care: Physicians are often the first (and sometimes only) professionals to interact with trafficking victims in a safe environment. This law reinforces the role of the exam room as a site of protection, underscoring the need for practical, evidence-based training that works within the time constraints of family practice.
Public Act 104-061 (effective Jan. 1, 2026) requires professional development focused on implicit bias, cultural competency, and evidence-based maternal care.
Implications for Patient Care: Many family physicians provide prenatal, perinatal, and postnatal care. This law directly supports improved outcomes in maternal and infant health, areas where family medicine has a long-standing role, especially in underserved communities.
Public Act 104-006 (effective Jan. 1, 2026) raises taxes on all nicotine products (including pouches and e-cigarettes) and directs new funding toward tobacco control programs.
Implications for Patient Care: Tobacco and related products remain a common health risk encountered in primary care. This policy is partly another tool in preventive care, supporting counseling, cessation programs, and reducing patient access to harmful products.
Public Act 104-028 (effective Jan. 1, 2026) includes insurance reforms designed to improve equity: (i) limit prior authorization for behavioral health; (ii) increase network transparency requirements; (iii) expand coverage for patient expenses tied to out-of-network care (e.g. travel).
Implications for Patient Care: This law addresses administrative barriers to care. Patients with behavioral health needs often face delays or denials that directly affect continuity of care in primary care offices. Simplified processes reduce administrative burden for physicians and improve patient outcomes.
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services with programs focused on providing equitable health care to people who are geographically isolated and economically or medically vulnerable, click here.
HealthLandscape has a variety of online mapping applications developed to help decision making in healthcare and community health practices – a recognition of the importance of data-driven decision making, click here.
Illinois Healthcare Access Feasability Study, Oct. 2020, IAFP Recommendations to Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services & Illinois Department of Insurance
COVID-19 and the Rural Health Workforce: Recommendations to Improve Health in Illinois, Oct. 2021, release by SIU Medicine’s Department of Population Science and Policy, SIU’s Paul Simon Public Policy Institute, The University of Illinois Chicago’s School of Public Health and the SIU Medicine’s Center for Rural Health and Social Service Development.