IL hospital deal appears unlikely before deadline

Just days before a March 1 deadline to devise a formula for measuring how much free health care hospitals must provide in order to qualify for tax breaks, hospital and state officials remain divided. Stakeholders, including the Illinois Hospital Association, representatives from the governor's office, the state Department of Revenue and other groups, have been meeting for months to draft new rules. But in a conference call with hospital leaders on Friday, the hospital association told participants that it was "99 percent sure" a deal wouldn't be struck by March 1, said two other sources.