The U.S. Census Bureau shows that more than one in ten people living in Aurora, Illinois under the age of 65 didn’t have health insurance between 2020 and 2024. Local State Representative Barbara Hernandez (D-Aurora) supports a bill that would give some people the option to communicate with a health professional via text. But the city's mayor does not agree with the bill's approach and has other concerns with the idea.
House Bill 5772 would amend the municipal code. It will allow a city or town to enter into a contract with a company that offers the option for residents to text a physician. Hernandez said access to health care is important to the community.
"It should be a need and a requirement versus what right now we have,” she said. “It's kind of like a luxury, unfortunately, how insurance companies have been doing it. So, this is why the company said, you know, let's put it in the utility bill because this is where it belongs with everything else.”
Some other services that are charged on the Aurora water bill include sewage, an environmental refuse disposal for things like leaf and Christmas tree collection and stormwater management fees.
The telehealth service is called TAP and is provided by MD Health Pathways. The company will give advice on a range of health issues, including respiratory care, high blood pressure, mental health and other non-emergency health concerns. It will also provide prescriptions and referrals for other health care professionals. It’s not meant to be a replacement for a primary care physician.
The proposal requires families to be automatically enrolled by adding at least nine dollars a month, which is 18 dollars per billing cycle, to their water bills. This would cover up to 10 household members. If residents don’t want the service, they would have to opt out. Aurora Mayor John Laesch does not agree with this option.
“It’s the opt-out portion that almost makes it a mandate,” he explained. “We have 14,000 residents who get auto billed. They don't see their monthly bills and wouldn't notice that increase unless they're really paying attention.”
Residents will have 60 days to opt out before they are billed. But Hernandez explains they could still make a change after that.
“You can have 12 months to decide to opt out,” Hernandez added. “If by month seven, you discover that this is something in your water bill and you don't like it, you can either text, call, or fill out a form online where you can say I decline the service.”
Hernandez said the company would then provide a refund of the previous months' charges.
Laesch is open to the text to physician service if it is something residents can opt in to. He met with the company.
“And I was very clear to them that if it was an opt-in approach, we would be open to having another conversation,” he said, “Again, we still had some patient privacy concerns, concerns that undocumented people might not want to share their information via text message.”
Hernandez is not opposed to it being an opt-in option.
“We're not trying to push something down people's lives,” she explained. “I think this could be beneficial for some people, and the opt-in, that's something that they can discuss too. I've talked to the company itself. I think they're open to different conversations to be had.”
Laesch also has concerns about people being misdiagnosed. Hernandez said the telehealth service has measures in place in case this happens.
“They have a lot of lawyers on hand to handle that situation, but that is why there is a physician and a doctor at all times, making sure looking at these results, and if they feel that there's something that they cannot provide…they will be open about it."
The Aurora City Council would have to vote on this measure. The mayor can either approve or veto their decision.
In the meantime, Hernandez said residents can enroll in a free trial by texting 839-887-0365.
The program is already in use in Algonquin and is being considered in Batavia.
HB 5772 is still pending. If approved, the target effective date would be January 1, 2027.
Local government will still have the final word on whether their town or city participants.
