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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The State Employees Group Insurance Program
3provides medical, dental, vision, and life insurance coverage
4to State employees, retirees, and their dependents; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Medical coverage is provided to members through a
6choice of coverage, including the Quality Care Health Plan
7(QCHP), HMO managed care plans, and the Open Access Plan (OAP);
8and
 
9    WHEREAS, In April of 2011, the State announced the intent
10to award contracts to offer HMO coverage through two HMO plans
11operated by BlueCross Blue Shield and for the Open Access Plan
12to be administered by Health Link OAP and Personal Care OAP;
13and
 
14    WHEREAS, 115,000 state employees, their dependents, and
15retirees enrolled in other plans, including Health Alliance and
16Humana, will have to select another insurance plan during the
17benefit choice period, which usually occurs from May 1st
18through May 31st; and
 
19    WHEREAS, The procurement for vendors to administer health
20benefits is the subject of an official protest; the State's
21chief procurement officer was quoted on May 4, 2011 that

 

 

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1decisions on the protests are "still weeks away"; and
 
2    WHEREAS, Concerns have been raised in the protest that the
3procurement process used to select new vendors did not
4adequately examine the extent to which vendors selected will be
5able to provide prompt and comprehensive care to all current
6enrollees or the true cost savings of the new contracts; and
 
7    WHEREAS, The chief executive officer of Health Alliance has
8indicated that Health Alliance hopes that the Commission on
9Government Forecasting and Accountability (COGFA) will require
10all of the managed care contracts to be rebid and that Health
11Alliance plans to challenge any denial of its protest in
12Circuit Court; and
 
13    WHEREAS, The timeline for the final selection of vendors to
14administer the State Employee Group Insurance Program will be
15extended by the pending protest, COGFA review, and legal
16action; and
 
17    WHEREAS, Until a final selection of vendors is made,
18enrollees will not be able to choose a plan based on
19maintaining access to providers; therefore, be it
 
20    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
21NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that

 

 

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1we urge the Department of Central Management Services to extend
2the benefit choice period to allow open enrollment in a health
3plan until a date no earlier than September 1, 2011 that occurs
4after the resolution of all pending protests, COGFA action,
5legal proceedings, or audits of the procurement process used to
6select plan administrators; and be it further
 
7    RESOLVED, That we urge the Department of Central Management
8Services to extend current HMO and OAP contracts until the end
9of the extended benefit choice period to ensure continuity of
10care for current enrollees; and be it further
 
11    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
12presented to the Director of Central Management Services.