Sangamon Sun

State Sen. Doris Turner (D-Springfield) hopes legislation would help doctors in rural, medically underserved areas receive the same benefits as those working in private health clinics. 

The legislation, Senate Bill 3017, would redefine the Designated Shortage Area in the Underserved Physician Workforce Act to include government owned, privately-owned, or provider-based rural health care clinics or hospitals and would put more medical professionals under the "eligible healthcare provider" category.

"Passing this bill will mean that people across the state will have an increased access to high qualilty health care," Turner said in a press release on her website. "We must work to improve access to quality care in rural Illinois."

According to LegiScan, healthcare workers who would fall under that category include: a primary care physician, general surgeon, emergency medicine physician, obstetrician, advanced practice registered nurse, or physician's assistant who accepts Medicaid, Medicare, the state's Children's Health Insurance Program, private insurance and self-pay rather than those who solely accept Medicaid patients or develops a discount payment plan for patients based on their financial status. 

The budget proposal unveiled by Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) in February focused on improving healthcare. According to a press release from the governor's office, it would waive license fees for nearly 470,000 frontline healthcare workers. It also allocated $180 million to retain and expand the healthcare workforce through Medicaid providers focusing on underserved and rural areas. Pritzker's budget would also set aside $140 million for mental health care providers through rate enhancements, $70 million to the 9-8-8 call centers and crisis response services, and $25 million to increase the pipeline of nurses through the state's community college board. 

According to the release from Turner's office, more private rural health clinics have opened in recent years, but physicians working there currently aren't eligible for loan forgiveness even if they work in underserved areas. If passed, the bill would ensure those healthcare workers also received that same benefit.