HR0807 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0807 LRB098 20039 GRL 55272 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was signed into law by President Barack Obama on March 23, 2010; and

WHEREAS, The Obama administration has hired thousands of marketers and members of community organizations to educate and assist consumers with the Obamacare enrollment process; and

WHEREAS, These new government employees tasked with helping consumers understand the law and the insurance coverage provisions in the new health insurance marketplace are known as "navigators"; and

WHEREAS, The State of Illinois has given out more than $36 million in federal taxpayer dollars to dozens of community groups in Illinois to hire temporary workers as navigators; and

WHEREAS, There are over 1,200 navigators in Illinois, many with no background in health insurance and limited training; and

WHEREAS, Since open enrollment began in October of 2013, there have been serious questions raised about the qualifications of navigators and the necessity of the program overall; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge the Department of Insurance to conduct a thorough review of the navigator program and its performance in enrolling previously uninsured Illinois citizens; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Department of Insurance report those findings to the General Assembly at the earliest convenience; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be delivered to Illinois Department of Insurance Director Andrew Boron and Governor Pat Quinn.