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Health Care Justice Act (Public Act 93-0973) - Adequate Health Care Task Force (AHCTF)

Governor Rod Blagojevich signed the Health Care Justice Act into law on August 20, 2004—a measure aiming to ensure access to quality and affordable health care for everyone statewide.

A key component of the law was the creation of a 29-member Adequate Health Care Task Force (AHCTF).  Because the task force did not receive any kind of appropriation until the spring 2005 legislative session it did not actually convene until August 1, 2005.  The final report was published on January 26, 2007, almost 18 months later. 

Between October, 2005 and April, 2006 more than twenty public hearings were conducted in the 19 congressional districts in Illinois to garner public input.   The task force also met numerous times during this time to hear the testimony of both stakeholders and experts who provided subject matter presentations on a variety of health care related topics. 

From May, 2006 until January, 2007 the focus of the task force was the development of its recommendations with the assistance of its consultants, Navigant Consulting (www.navigantconsulting.com) and Mathematica Policy Research (www.mathematica-mpr.com).  During this period of time five different models were considered.  Slightly more than a simple majority of task members (16) voted to recommend a "hybrid" model that was developed by the consultants.

Members of the Illinois State Association of Health Underwriters, most of whom professionally advise individual consumers and owners of small businesses concerning their health insurance coverage, believe that all Illinoisans should have access to high quality and affordable health care.  We are also very concerned that the more than 85% of our citizens who are insured and enjoy the peace of mind that health insurance coverage provides may be increasingly at risk of losing their coverage in the future due to the continuing escalation in health care costs.  We do NOT advocate status quo, because clearly initiatives need to be considered and implemented that truly help reduce the number of the uninsured in our state and improve the affordability of health care.  Health care affordability, that being the affordability of the actual cost of the health care one receives - is clearly the key in the future to helping ensure access (to care) and the relative affordability of insurance premiums.

We also believe the most effective public policy for health care in Illinois is one that builds on the strengths of our state's current delivery and financing system (which are many), and it is for these reasons and those noted above that our members are in support of the recommendations set forth in the minority report that was submitted by "Select Members of the Adequate Health Care Task Force".

Relevant links:

Official Health Care Justice Act / Adequate Health Care Task Force web site
Directory of task force members

Adequate Health Care Task Force process - Meeting subjects and content arranged chronologically:

October 26, 2005 AHCTF Meeting:

Department of Insurance Presentation
Comprehensive Health Insurance Plan (Risk Pool) Presentation

Medicaid Leadership Group4th Annual Medicaid Summit (November 3, 2005) in Chicago
November 4, 2005 Special AHCTF Meeting

 November 30, 2005 AHCTF Meeting:

Federal Financing of State Health Programs, Presenter: Anne-Marie Murphy, Illinois Medicaid program
Is oral health a critical component of primary health care?, Presenter: Lewis Lampiris, DDS, Illinois Department of Public Health

 December 7, 2005, Illinois Health Forum, Holiday Inn Mart Plaza in Chicago:

 Agenda
 Biographical Sketches
 Presentations

 January 25, 2006 AHCTF Meeting:

Dianne Rucinski, PhD
Naomi Morris Collaborative & Institute for Health Research and Policy
UIC School of Public Health

HRSA State Planning Grant Accomplishments
Other Data Sources
Data-Driven Policy Development

 February 22, 2006 AHCTF Meeting:

Jessica Waltman, Legislative Policy Research Director, National Association of Health Underwriters

Janet Trautwein, Executive Vice President and CEO, National Association of Health Underwriters

 March 29 , 2006 AHCTF Meeting:

Robert F. Hamilton, M.D., F.A.C.S.
Elena Butkus, Vice President, Illinois Hospital Association
Teresa Hursey, Vice President, Illinois Hospital Association
Brent Adams, Citizens Action / Illinois

April 21, 2006 AHCTF Meeting

Tarren Bragdon, Maine Heritage Policy Center
Ron Bachman, Center for Health Transformation
J. P. Wieske, Council for Affordable Health Insurance
Marty Mitchell, AHIP (America’s Health Insurance Plans)
Phil O’Connor, PhD, former Director of Insurance, Illinois
Eileen Ellis, Health Management Associates
Brad Buxton, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois

May 9, 2006 AHCTF Meeting

1. Insurance Industry Representatives' Access Model Proposal
2. Insurance Industry Representatives' Access Model Proposal Executive Summary
3. Insurance Industry Representatives' Access Model Proposal Presentation

May 23, 2006 AHCTF Meeting

The following five access model proposals have been referred to the AHCTF consultants
to review and analyze:

1. Meeting Summary
2. Insurance Industry Representatives' Access Model Proposal
3. Healthy Illinois Proposal
4. Single Payer Proposal
5. Campaign for Better HealthCare / Health & Disability Advocates’ Medicaid expansion proposal
6. Illinois Hospital Association’s proposal

June 27, 2006 AHCTF Meeting

1. Agenda
2. Draft criteria to evaluate coverage proposals, for the Adequate Health Care Task Force's review and changes
3. Responses to questions raised by the Adequate Health Care Task Force during the May 23, 2006 meeting
4. Revised interests matrix

July 25, 2006 AHCTF Meeting

1. Agenda
2. Summary of Proposal - Insurance Industry Working Group (July 19, 2006 response to Navigant)
3. Navigant Consulting’s 177-page report that sets forth its initial evaluation of proposals along with the initial draft of its “hybrid model”

August 15, 2006 AHCTF Meeting

1. Content offered in advance of the meeting by the Insurance Industry Working Group Members:

• Administrative cost differentials between public and private insurance
• Why Guaranteed Issue is a REALLY BAD IDEA in the individual market in Illinois
• August, 2005 AHIP study concerning the individual health insurance market

NOTE:  The individual health insurance market information noted above was presented in response to factually inaccurate comments made at the July 25th meeting by a Mathematica Policy Research (MPR) epresentative that there are only 2 companies currently underwriting individual health plan coverage in Illinois, and they are either losing money or barely making it (financially).  These comments formed the rationale for MPR’s recommendation to convert the individual market in Illinois to Guaranteed Issue.

3. Consultant updates to 7.25.06 Evaluation and Study
4. Millman response concerning administrative cost assumptions
5. Questions from Adequate Health Care Task Force (AHCTF) Members Regarding Navigant Consulting’s 
   Evaluation of Six Proposals Submitted to the AHCTF
6. Consultants' observations regarding effectiveness and efficiencies of different program components

September 26 , 2006 AHCTF Meeting

1. Agenda
2. Modified Hybrid Model - Revised to Reflect High and Moderate Consensus Items
   September 20, 2006 - Draft and Preliminary

December 7 , 2006 AHCTF Meeting

              Meeting Notice & Agenda

• Updated Coverage Expansion Model (Modified 7th Hybrid Model), November 29, 2006, Draft and Preliminary
• Summary of Proposals for Reference
• Overview of Proposals’ Estimated Costs and Coverage for Under 65 Population (2007)

January 18, 2007 AHCTF Meeting

             Meeting Notice & Agenda

             Final report draft

Final AHCTF report published on January 26, 2007 AHCTF Meeting

 

Updated February 7, 2007