North Cook News

Nicolle Grasse introduced HB2371 in the Illinois House on Jan. 31, 2025, during the general assembly session 104, according to the Illinois General Assembly.

According to the Illinois General Assembly site, the legislature summarized the bill's official text as follows: "Amends the Illinois Insurance Code. Provides that no provision of the Illinois Insurance Code, or any other law, prohibits assignability rights to an insured under any policy of dental insurance (in addition to accident and health insurance). Provides that if an enrollee or insured of an insurer, health maintenance organization, managed care plan, health care plan, preferred provider organization, dental service plan corporation, dental insurer, or third party administrator assigns a claim to a health care professional, or health care facility, a dental care provider, or a dental care facility, then payment shall be made directly to the health care professional, or health care facility, dental care provider, or dental care facility, including any required interest. Effective immediately."

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

In essence, this bill amends several sections of the Illinois Insurance Code and related acts to clarify the assignability of accident and health insurance rights, including dental insurance, and ensures direct payment to health care providers when claims are assigned. It codifies the rights of policyholders to assign benefits and enforce such assignments under existing policies and contracts, without prejudice to insurers for payments made before receiving notice of assignment. The bill mandates that all dental service plan corporations comply with these provisions from the Illinois Insurance Code. Additionally, it modifies the Health Maintenance Organization Act, the Limited Health Service Organization Act, and the Voluntary Health Services Plans Act to stipulate compliance with sections of the Illinois Insurance Code. The act is set to take effect Jan. 1, 2026.

Nicolle Grasse has proposed another two bills since the beginning of the 104th session.

Grasse graduated from Elmhurst College with a BA.

Nicolle Grasse is currently serving in the Illinois State House, representing the state's 53rd House District. She replaced previous state representative Mark L. Walker in 2024.

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.

Bill Number	Date Introduced	Short Description
HB2371	01/31/2025	Amends the Illinois Insurance Code. Provides that no provision of the Illinois Insurance Code, or any other law, prohibits assignability rights to an insured under any policy of dental insurance (in addition to accident and health insurance). Provides that if an enrollee or insured of an insurer, health maintenance organization, managed care plan, health care plan, preferred provider organization, dental service plan corporation, dental insurer, or third party administrator assigns a claim to a health care professional, or health care facility, a dental care provider, or a dental care facility, then payment shall be made directly to the health care professional, or health care facility, dental care provider, or dental care facility, including any required interest. Effective immediately.
HB2397	01/31/2025	Provides that the Act may be referred to as the Eddie Thomas Act. Amends the Unified Code of Corrections. Provides that no later than December 1 of each year, the Department of Corrections shall prepare a report to be published on its website that contains, at a minimum, the following information about hospice and palliative care in its institutions and facilities during the prior fiscal year: (1) demographic data of committed persons who received hospice and palliative care; (2) data on the number of committed persons in the Department's hospice and palliative care programs; (3) data on the timing of hospice and palliative care programming; (4) the number of committed persons in the custody of the Department who died; (5) policies and administrative directives of each Department institution and facility regarding the institution of hospice and palliative care; (6) the staff available for hospice and palliative care; and (7) the cost of the Department's hospice and palliative care programs. Provides that all such data shall be anonymized to protect the privacy of the committed persons involved in the hospice and palliative care programs.
HB1888	01/29/2025	Amends the State Commemorative Dates Act. Provides that March of each year is designated as Prescribed Fire Awareness Month, to be observed throughout the State as a month to celebrate the multiple ecological, economic, and cultural benefits of prescribed fire to the State of Illinois.
HB1712	01/24/2025	Amends the Department of Public Health Powers and Duties Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Provides that the Department of Public Health is vested with the duty and responsibility for oversight and training connected with the use of the Department of Public Health Uniform POLST form at all hospitals, healthcare facilities, and other facilities and providers that use the Department of Public Health Uniform POLST form. Provides that the Department of Public Health shall develop, in consultation with stakeholders determined by the Director of Public Health, training resources to support informed decisions and accurate completion of the Department of Public Health Uniform POLST form. Provides that the Department of Public Health shall establish a simple, efficient, and effective process to ensure oversight of and accountability for training to support informed decisions and accurate completion of the Department of Public Health Uniform POLST form at all hospitals, healthcare facilities, and other facilities and providers that use the Department of Public Health Uniform POLST form. Provides that, in consultation with various organizations, the Department of Public Health shall adopt rules implementing these policies no later than 2 years after the effective date of this amendatory Act. Provides that the Department of Public Health, in connection with implementing these policies, may also consult with the Office of the Secretary of State with respect to the Advance Directive Registry established by the Secretary of State.