IHA Daily Briefing: January 20

IHA, Hospital Roundtable with Rep. Brad Schneider Highlights Hospital Priorities
Illinois Health and Hospital Association (IHA) President & CEO A.J. Wilhelmi and IHA Vice President, Health Policy and Finance, Cassie Yarbrough, joined a number of Illinois hospital leaders at a roundtable event last Friday with Rep. Brad Schneider to discuss pressures facing hospitals and key policy issues, including Medicaid, workforce shortages, 340B and ongoing payer challenges. The conversation highlighted Rep. Schneider's strong understanding of hospital issues and his support for policies that protect patients' access to care.

Wilhelmi underscored the projected impact of H.R. 1 on Illinois, noting potential Medicaid coverage losses and reductions in Medicaid funding, which will increase pressure on hospitals that already provide roughly $700 million in charity care annually. Hospital leaders described how cost-shifting often translates into service reductions, staffing strains, and access challenges-trends they warned could accelerate closures and overcrowding if unaddressed.

Additional topics included telehealth expansion, cross-state behavioral health practice, workforce pipeline needs, vaccine hesitancy, immigration-related access concerns, and ongoing frustrations with managed care and Medicare Advantage.

Overall, the meeting provided a constructive forum for hospital leaders to engage Rep. Schneider directly and reinforce the real-world realities facing Illinois hospitals and the communities they serve.

Springfield Legislative Update
Today, the Illinois House of Representatives convened for the first time this year and House lawmakers are scheduled to remain in Springfield through Thursday of this week. The Senate began its 2026 spring legislative session last week but saw little action before adjourning until noon on Feb. 3. Similarly, no significant legislative action is anticipated in the House this week, as no legislation is positioned for consideration at this time and no committees are scheduled. Legislators currently remain focused on introducing bills for consideration this spring.

Last week, legislators and staff began relocating to newly renovated offices on the upper floors of the Capitol's north wing, which continues to undergo a $350 million, multi-year renovation. Construction continues in several offices on the first and second floors, as well as a new underground conference center and parking garage, and a redesigned main entrance for visitors.

Department on Aging Releases Long-Term Strategy
Last week, the Illinois Dept. on Aging (DoA) released "EngAging Illinois: A Comprehensive Plan for Living Well," which lays out a 10-year multi-sector plan to support older adults and caregivers statewide. The plan was developed through collaboration among 15 government agencies, experts in aging and caregiving, and public feedback from hundreds of residents, to address Illinois' projected growth in the senior population-which is expected to grow 40% by 2035. The plan outlines strategies focused on creating connected communities, ensuring health across ages, caregiver investment and financial security. Key initiatives included launching a comprehensive online research hub, promoting age-friendly policies, expanding affordable and accessible housing options, enhancing healthcare education, raising awareness for caregivers, and modernizing home and community-based services.

Guidance on Secure Connectivity for Operational Technology
Federal and international partners recently issued new recommendations focused on strengthening secure connectivity in operational technology (OT) environments. In healthcare settings, OT includes systems that support building operations and safety, such as energy management, HVAC, life-safety infrastructure, access controls, and physical security and alarm systems.

The guidance underscores persistent cybersecurity risks facing OT, particularly the reliance on legacy systems that were not designed for today's interconnected and threat-intensive digital environments. It also introduces a set of eight core principles intended to help organizations plan, protect and manage OT connectivity more effectively.

For hospitals, early and ongoing coordination among OT owners, vendors, and cybersecurity teams is essential and should begin during system selection and procurement. Hospitals are also encouraged to evaluate how disruptions to OT systems-such as building automation or HVAC-could affect clinical operations and continuity of care. For life-critical and mission-critical OT systems that rely on network connectivity, the guidance strongly advises incorporating manual override capabilities and ensuring systems can function safely in an offline or disconnected state.

Illinois Respiratory Disease Surveillance Data