SPRINGFIELD — Terminally ill adults could soon have increased access to more compassionate end-of-life options under a bill that had State Senator Cristina Castro’s backing.

“How we live and die should always be our choice,” said Castro (D-Elgin). “This measure grants that choice to ensure quality of life for those who have known pain for some time now.”

Senate Bill 1950 would allow a qualified patient with a terminal disease to request a physician to prescribe aid-in-dying medication, allowing the patient to end their own life in a peaceful manner if they choose.

The bill includes multiple safeguards that would ensure a patient is eligible, informed about all of their end-of-life care options and protected from potential coercion or surrogate decision-making by anyone other than the patient.

Patients would be assessed by physicians and mental health professionals to ensure their capacity to make an informed decision. Only the patient would be able to request this aid – not a surrogate, proxy or via an advance health directive. Under Senate Bill 1950, no physician, health care provider or pharmacist would be required to participate in the law.

Senate Bill 1950 passed the Senate and heads to the governor’s desk for final approval.

 SPRINGFIELD — Community-based foster care agencies could soon have protection from increased costs and lack of liability insurance options, thanks to State Senator Cristina Castro’s support for House Bill 762.

“Insurance coverage has been a lasting issue for foster agencies to overcome,” said Castro (D-Elgin). “Without legislative action, foster care and adoption services could have been forced to close down.”

Foster care agencies are required to carry liability insurance to protect the thousands of children in their care. Many carriers are no longer offering this line of insurance, and only two carriers offer liability insurance for foster care providers in Illinois. This has resulted in higher costs and limited coverage.

To address this issue, Castro signed on to House Bill 762, which would require the Department of Insurance to conduct an inquiry into liability insurance practices for foster care services. By April 1, 2026, the department must provide stakeholders, the General Assembly and the governor’s office with a finalized survey of their data.

This survey allows the department to analyze information from insurance carriers inside and outside of the state to obtain information about issues contributing to the problem, including factors like rising settlements and a changing insurance market.

“This data will help paint a better picture of the landscape so the state can formulate strategies to prevent foster care providers from being priced out of the market,” said Castro. “Children in the foster care system shouldn’t shoulder this burden.”

House Bill 762 passed the Senate on Thursday, Oct. 30.

 SPRINGFIELD — State Senator Cristina Castro backed legislation designed to put clear, expert vaccine guidance at the center of the state’s public health response.

“The education and effort put into ensuring our doctors and clinicians make evidence-based decisions should be second to none,” said Castro (D-Elgin). “In the absence of federal leadership, this measure equips our medical professionals and families with the best information available.”

House Bill 767 comes at a time when the federal administration has gone dark on vaccine transparency. The goal is to shine a spotlight on this issue so Illinois continues to follow the science, no matter what happens at the federal level.

The legislation would strengthen advisory duties for the Department of Public Health’s medical director and require the Illinois Immunization Advisory Committee to advise the director on diseases for which a vaccine is licensed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. This aims to give the state advisory committee more authority to advise the director on vaccine guidelines that protect Illinois public health in the absence of federal action.

As consumer protections and insurance coverage at the federal level are rolled back, the Castro-backed legislation would require health insurance plans to cover vaccines that are recommended within the State Guidelines for Communicable Disease Prevention. Under this bill, coverage would take effect within 15 days after becoming law, removing a financial barrier to timely access for families.

“At the end of the day, health care de-regulation of any sort will be a price that children and families have to pay and we will stand against that,” Castro said.

House Bill 767 passed the Senate Thursday, Oct. 30.

SPRINGFIELD — State Senator Cristina Castro bolstered support for a measure that secures mental health parity, which allows for the equal treatment of mental health conditions and substance use in insurance plans.

“The lack of in-network mental health coverage in insurance plans discourages people who need services from seeking the help they need,” said Castro. “Taking this step gives residents peace of mind that they can rely on the insurance plans they have been paying into and make the most out of their coverage.”

House Bill 1085 would create a formula to calculate mental health and substance use reimbursement rates. The bill would then task the Illinois Department of Insurance with utilizing the formula to calculate rates and publish them in a bulletin for use by insurers.

Updating reimbursement rates would ensure more behavioral health providers join networks, ensuring individuals are able to access the care outlined within their benefits in a timely manner without having to go out-of-network.

“Having a wider range of in- network provider options for clients to choose from allows for clients to pick the best provider for their needs, not to settle for less” said Castro. “Quality care for patients and meaningful compensation for providers is the top priority in this legislation.”

House Bill 1085 passed the Senate last Thursday.