Full Text of HR0718 103rd General Assembly
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION | 2 | | WHEREAS, Access to healthcare is a fundamental human | 3 | | right, critical to the well-being, dignity, and prosperity of | 4 | | all individuals; and | 5 | | WHEREAS, Illinois ensures equitable access to healthcare | 6 | | services for all its residents through its Medical Assistance | 7 | | Program (Medicaid), recognizing that diversity and inclusion | 8 | | in procurement processes enrich and strengthen the healthcare | 9 | | ecosystem; and | 10 | | WHEREAS, Ensuring equitable access to healthcare and | 11 | | inclusive providers increases positive healthcare outcomes and | 12 | | quality of care; and | 13 | | WHEREAS, Congruence with provider-patient race is | 14 | | correlated with a reduction in patient mortality, increased | 15 | | utilization of preventative services, improved connections | 16 | | between patients and their primary care providers, and | 17 | | reductions in returns to emergency departments after being | 18 | | discharged; and | 19 | | WHEREAS, The Illinois Health Care and Human Service Reform | 20 | | Act of 2021 created the Medicaid Managed Care Oversight | 21 | | Commission within the Illinois Department of Healthcare and |
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| 1 | | Family Services (HFS) to evaluate the effectiveness of | 2 | | Illinois' managed care program and to address inadequate | 3 | | levels of care coordination and care planning under MCOs; and | 4 | | WHEREAS, The Illinois HealthCare and Human Services Reform | 5 | | Act of 2021 created the Managed Care Oversight Fund as a | 6 | | special fund in the State treasury to be used by HFS to support | 7 | | contracting with women and minority-owned businesses as a part | 8 | | of HFS's Business Enterprise Program requirements; and | 9 | | WHEREAS, The Illinois HealthCare and Human Services Reform | 10 | | Act of 2021 created the Medicaid Business Opportunity | 11 | | Commission within the HFS to develop a program to support and | 12 | | grow minority, women, and persons with disability-owned | 13 | | businesses; and | 14 | | WHEREAS, The involvement of Business Enterprise Program | 15 | | (BEP) companies, encompassing women, minority, and | 16 | | disabled-owned businesses is essential in reflecting the | 17 | | diverse composition of Illinois and in promoting economic | 18 | | equality and opportunity; therefore, be it | 19 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | 20 | | HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 21 | | the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services is | 22 | | urged to include the following measures in the upcoming |
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| 1 | | Medicaid Managed Care Organization Request for Proposal (RFP) | 2 | | to ensure a robust, equitable, and inclusive procurement | 3 | | process: | 4 | | (1) RFP Criteria Adjustment: The current RFP criteria | 5 | | distributes BEP participation across women (8%), | 6 | | minorities (11%), and disabled individuals (1%); to better | 7 | | reflect the demographic composition of the State and to | 8 | | promote greater equity, the new RFP criteria should be | 9 | | adjusted to require participation from qualifying BEP | 10 | | entities that are, at minimum, reflective of the State's | 11 | | population; this change is a step towards contracts being | 12 | | more representative of the State's minority population and | 13 | | in keeping with the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus' | 14 | | Healthcare Pillar; | 15 | | (2) Review and Accountability Mechanism: To ensure | 16 | | ongoing commitment to these principles, a biennial review | 17 | | of contract awardees should be conducted; should a | 18 | | selected bidder not fairly represent BEP spend among the | 19 | | minority population, the next qualified bidder will be | 20 | | selected; this mechanism promotes accountability and | 21 | | continuous improvement in achieving Illinois' diversity | 22 | | and inclusion goals; | 23 | | (3) Reporting and Oversight: The Department should, on | 24 | | a monthly basis, provide a report to each member of the | 25 | | General Assembly detailing adherence to the Healthcare | 26 | | Pillar mandates previously enacted; this report should |
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| 1 | | include, but is not limited to, analysis of the total | 2 | | spending and percentage of spending paid to BEP vendors by | 3 | | awarded Managed Care Organizations (MCOs), broken down by | 4 | | the vendors' race, gender, and status as either a | 5 | | healthcare provider or non-healthcare provider; this | 6 | | transparency is crucial for oversight and strategic | 7 | | planning; | 8 | | (4) Quarterly Recommendations by Black Caucus Leaders: | 9 | | The three leaders of the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus | 10 | | should, on a quarterly basis, provide recommendations to | 11 | | the Governor's Office regarding which MCOs should receive | 12 | | an altered auto-assignment rate, taking into account BEP | 13 | | spend alongside quality, innovation, and price; this | 14 | | recommendation process ensures that MCOs are incentivized | 15 | | to adhere to BEP spending goals, reflecting fairness and | 16 | | equity in the BEP program; | 17 | | (5) Total BEP Spend: Quarterly, the Commission on | 18 | | Equity and Inclusion, in conjunction with HFS, should | 19 | | compile and publicly report the total amount of BEP | 20 | | expenditures across all MCOs participating in the Illinois | 21 | | Medicaid Program, as compared to those MCO's total | 22 | | spending on all Illinois Medicaid expenditures; this | 23 | | report should include detailed delineation by race and | 24 | | ethnicity of the contracted business owners, specifically | 25 | | categorizing the expenditures among African American, | 26 | | Asian, Latino, and White women-owned businesses; |
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| 1 | | furthermore, the report should clearly specify the | 2 | | percentages and dollar amounts allocated to these BEP | 3 | | companies, ensuring a clear and accessible breakdown that | 4 | | highlights the State's dedication to equitable and | 5 | | inclusive business practices; and | 6 | | (6) In addition to demographic and financial details, | 7 | | the report should distinguish between funds allocated to | 8 | | providers versus non-providers, offering a nuanced view of | 9 | | how BEP expenditures contribute to the Illinois Medicaid | 10 | | Program; each MCO, as part of their contractual | 11 | | obligations with the State, should provide detailed and | 12 | | accurate data on their BEP spending; and be it further | 13 | | RESOLVED, That this initiative aims to foster an | 14 | | environment of accountability, where progress towards more | 15 | | equitable and diverse procurement practices can be measured, | 16 | | assessed, and adjusted as necessary to meet Illinois' goals; | 17 | | and be it further | 18 | | RESOLVED, That by instituting these reporting | 19 | | requirements, the State of Illinois reaffirms its commitment | 20 | | to not only achieving diversity in its procurement practices | 21 | | but also to fostering an environment of transparency where the | 22 | | impact of these practices can be openly evaluated and | 23 | | celebrated and underscores the importance of intentional, | 24 | | actionable measures in promoting equity, diversity, and |
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| 1 | | inclusion within the healthcare sector and beyond, ensuring | 2 | | that our policies reflect our values and commitment to all | 3 | | citizens of Illinois; and be it further | 4 | | RESOLVED, That these measures represent the State of | 5 | | Illinois's commitment to fostering a healthcare system that is | 6 | | equitable, diverse, and inclusive, recognizing the intrinsic | 7 | | value of every individual and the strength that diversity | 8 | | brings to our collective efforts to improve healthcare access | 9 | | and outcomes. |
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