Illinois Sen. Fine’s health care transparency bill passes House and Senate

Passed bill authored by State Sen. Laura Fine seeks to enhance transparency in health care by mandating comprehensive provider lists, uniform benefit cards, and establishing a consumer assistance office, according to the Illinois General Assembly.

In the House, 72 Democrats and 37 Republicans voted in favor of the bill.

Meanwhile, in the Senate, 37 Democrats and 19 Republicans voted in favor of the bill.

Fine introduced the bill in the Illinois Senate on Jan. 28, 2025 during the 104th session.

The legislation, known as SB1346, was passed on May 31, 2025 during the general assembly session 104.

According to the Illinois General Assembly site, the legislature summarized the bill’s official text as follows: “Amends the Managed Care Reform and Patient Rights Act. Provides that a health care plan shall provide annually to enrollees and prospective enrollees, upon request, a statement of all basic health care services and all specific benefits and services mandated to be provided to enrollees by State law or administrative rule, highlighting any newly enacted State law or administrative rule. Provides that this requirement can be fulfilled by providing enrollees the most up-to-date accident and health checklist submitted to the Department of Insurance, reflecting statutory health care coverage compliance by the health care plan. Requires the Office of Consumer Health Insurance to post in a prominent location on the Department’s publicly accessible website an annual report on the development and implementation of federal, State, and local laws, regulations, and other governmental policies and actions that pertain to the adequacy of health care plans, facilities, and services in the State and summary of all State health insurance benefit related legislation enacted in the prior calendar year that includes, at minimum, a link to the Public Act, the statutory citation, the subject, a brief summary, and the effective date. Amends the Uniform Health Care Services Benefit Information Card Act. Adds a health benefit plan offering dental coverage to the list of plans required to issue a health care benefit information card. Specifies health care benefit information cards may be electronic or physical. Requires uniform health care benefit information to display on the back of the card a statement indicating whether the plan is self-insured or fully funded and if the plan is subject to regulation by the Department of Insurance. Makes other changes.”

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, this bill amends the Managed Care Reform and Patient Rights Act and requires health care plans to provide enrollees and potential enrollees with a comprehensive list of participating providers and detailed coverage descriptions annually, including benefits, limitations, emergency services, and financial responsibilities. Qualified health plans sold through the state health insurance marketplace must include accessible information on prescription drug benefits and provider networks. The bill also mandates health benefit plans, and dental plans to issue uniform health care benefit information cards containing specific data elements such as contact details, coverage limits, and whether the plan is self-insured. The Office of Consumer Health Insurance is established within the Department of Insurance to assist consumers, offering services like educational resources, grievance support, and multilingual assistance, with annual reporting on health insurance developments. These provisions apply from Jan. 1, 2015, with certain reporting requirements effective from Jan. 31, 2026.

The bill was sponsored by Rep. Bob Morgan (Democrat-58th District), Rep. Camille Y. Lilly (Democrat-78th District), and Sen. Christopher Belt (Democrat-57th District), along with six other sponsors.

Bills in Illinois follow a multi-step legislative process, beginning with introduction in either the House or Senate, followed by committee review, floor debates, and votes in both chambers before reaching the governor for approval or veto. The General Assembly operates on a biennial schedule, and while typically thousands of bills are introduced each session, only a fraction successfully pass through the process to become law.

You can read more about bills and other measures here.

Fine graduated from Indiana University in 1985 with a BA.

Fine, a Democrat, was elected to the Illinois State Senate in 2019 to represent the state’s 9th Senate District, replacing previous state senator Daniel Biss.

Lawmakers listed as “Not Voting” were present for the vote but did not cast a vote. Those marked as having an “Excused Absence” were not present and formally provided a reason for their absence, which was accepted.

While the final vote determined the bill’s passage, lawmakers in both chambers held an additional vote related to a concurrence. This earlier vote is included below for context.