[Peace] periodic call to action: call about Illinois limiting the health care options to BlueCrossBlueShield and putting downstate employees in a bad possition

[Karen Medina]

Action item of the week: Call state legislators about Illinois
limiting the health care options for employees of Illinois.


Conrad Wetzel: "Please remind people about the Health Alliance issue."

Catherine Gray: "If you're as enraged as I am about the Health
alliance thing, please call our illustrious Gov. Quinn and sign Mike
Frerichs’s petition about it. As is often the case, the more of us
that protest, the better."

Stuart Levy: "This affects health coverage for anyone who works for
the State (including UofI). The State proposes to drop all the HMOs
that serve east-central IL (Health Alliance, Humana, PersonalCare), in
favor of Blue Cross/Blue Shield statewide, as I understand it. If it
happens as planned, then as of July, any HMO-covered employees in this
area would either need to switch to costlier non-HMO insurance, or
find new doctors in distant parts of the state, (since BCBS has no
arrangements with any local providers). Health Alliance has filed a
formal protest, and there's been a fair public uproar, including a
hearing on Wednesday in Springfield chaired by Naomi Jakobsson."
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Governor Pat Quinn's phone 217-782-0244
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Senator Frerichs sent a letter to Governor Pat Quinn and Julie Hamos,
Director of the Department of Health and Family Services, urging them
to reverse their decision to end the state's contract with Health
Alliance.

Senator Frerichs also launched a petition on his website where those
who stand with him in support of Health Alliance can show their
support.
http://www.mikefrerichs.com/

One paragraph from Frerichs' letter: "I understand the Governor's
intent behind the suggested change is to cut costs, but I fear that
ending the state's contract with Health Alliance will actually have
the opposite effect. Without a contract with Health Alliance, members
of the state's group insurance plan in downstate Illinois are left
without an affordable, accessible HMO option. Over the long term, I'm
convinced a continued contract with Health Alliance will be more
affordable for the state."
- http://www.mikefrerichs.com/images/stories/Senator%20Frerichs%20Health%20Alliance%20Letter.pdf