HB2812 amends the Illinois Medical Patient Rights Act to create a specific visitation right for the next of kin of a patient who is on life support. Under the bill, every health care facility in Illinois would be required to allow that next of kin to remain at the patient’s bedside regardless of normal visitation hours. The bill also defines “next of kin” narrowly as one person in a priority order: spouse, then parent, then child, then sibling.
The measure preserves facility discretion to adopt reasonable policies and requirements to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the patient, the next of kin, staff, and other patients, but those policies could not eliminate the basic bedside access right. The bill also leaves existing visitation rules in place for other patients and settings, and it does not alter a facility’s ability to regulate general visitation hours, visitor limits, or movement within the facility except as specifically provided for the life-support next-of-kin provision.
Impact
If enacted, HB2812 would add a new subsection to Section 3.2 of the Medical Patient Rights Act and create an enforceable statutory visitation right for a designated family member of a life-support patient. Health care facilities, including hospitals and other covered facilities, would need to adjust visitation policies to ensure bedside access for the defined next of kin while still maintaining infection control, screening, and other reasonable safety measures. The bill would affect facility policies, patient-family access rules, and potentially compliance procedures for hospitals and long-term care settings.
Sentiment
Based on the bill text and available context, the measure appears to be framed as a patient-family rights bill with a sympathetic purpose: ensuring that a close family member can remain with a critically ill patient on life support. There are no recorded committee transcripts or votes in the provided materials, so there is no documented debate or formal legislative sentiment to summarize. The overall tone of the proposal is protective of family access while still acknowledging health and safety concerns.
Contention
The main potential point of contention is the balance between family bedside access and a facility’s authority to manage safety, staffing, infection control, and visitation limits. Health care facilities may be concerned that the bill limits their discretion in emergencies, during outbreaks, or when patient or staff safety is at issue, although the bill does allow reasonable policies and requirements. Another possible issue is the bill’s narrow definition of “next of kin,” which gives the right to only one person in a fixed priority order and could exclude other close relatives or chosen family members.
Health care; Lori Brand Patient Bill of Rights Act of 2025; rights of patient; responsibilities of patients; rights of minors; responsibilities of parents; effective date.
Health care; Lori Brand Patient Bill of Rights Act of 2025; rights of patient; responsibilities of patients; rights of minors; responsibilities of parents; effective date.