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

[Ya'aqov Ziso]

*Stuart, kind thanks. I'll write back after speaking with Christie's
administrator.

*
*On Mon, Apr 25, 2011 at 3:27 PM, Stuart Levy <slevy at ncsa.illinois.edu>wrote:
*
>
> *On Mon, Apr 25, 2011 at 02:30:25PM -0500, Ya'aqov Ziso wrote:
> > *
> *
> *> >
> > > ... since BCBS has no arrangements with any local providers ....
> >
> > ===============
> > I have spent over an hour with a Carle Express administrator who made
> > several phone calls and then assured me that Carle does NOT but Christie
> > DOES have arrangements with BCBS.
> > Stuart, can you indicate the source of your information?
> > Ya'aqov
>
> *
> *[Setting followups to the "peace-discuss" list, but I'll post this here
> in hope it's of interest to enough people...]
>
> It's from Blue Cross Blue Shield of IL's web site (below), which offers a
> "search for provider" by city or zip code.  I've tried both of the HMOs
> which the the State proposes to offer -- HMO Illinois and
> Blue Advantage HMO -- and looked for general-practice doctors and
> (sometimes)
> for hospitals and "HMO Clinics".  All searches starting from Champaign,
> regardless of "distance willing to travel", yield a message that
> "the zip code entered is not within the HMO service area.  Members must
> live
> within the HMO service area in order to receive benefits."
>
> Possible explanations for the response you got:
>
>  - Christie may have non-HMO arrangements with BCBS.
>
>    I searched specifically for HMO offerings, which are what
>    the state proposes to change, and which are the most economical
>    plans for people who can accept the limitations of HMO coverage.
>
>    Non-HMO (e.g. conventional insurance) plans will definitely still
>    be available.  Even if the state plan goes ahead, health care with
>    local providers will still have coverage, but under things like
>    Quality Care Health Plan -- conventional insurance -- which will
>    cost more and (I think but haven't checked) cover less.  They're
>    also more prone to finger-pointing between insurer and provider.
>
>  - Christie may have *future* HMO arrangements with BCBS, which aren't
>    listed on BCBS's web site because they aren't yet available.
>
>  - BCBS's web site,
>      http://www.bcbsil.com/providers/
>    may not match what they offer.  But you'd think they'd want to make it
>    reflect their coverage well so that people would buy their insurance.
> >
> >
> >
> > *
> *
> *> *On Mon, Apr 25, 2011 at 2:03 PM, Karen Medina <kmedina67 at gmail.com>
> wrote:
> > *
> > >
> > > *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."
> > > ====
> > > Governor Pat Quinn's phone 217-782-0244
> > > ====
> > > 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
> > > _______________________________________________
> > > Peace mailing list
> > > Peace at lists.chambana.net
> > > http://lists.chambana.net/mailman/listinfo/peace
> > > *
> >
> > *
> >
> >
> > --
> > ya'aqovZISO | yaaqovz at gmail.com | 856 217 3456
> >
> > *
>
> > _______________________________________________
> > Peace mailing list
> > Peace at lists.chambana.net
> > http://lists.chambana.net/mailman/listinfo/peace
>
> *
>
*


-- 
ya'aqovZISO | yaaqovz at gmail.com | 856 217 3456

*
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