Members of Eastern’s faculty and staff are reacting to the recent decision by the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services to replace Health Alliance and Humana as the prominent health care providers for an estimated 99,474 state employees.

Linda Coleman, an English professor, said she has used Health Alliance for 20 years and has been very pleased with their service. She originally used PersonalCare, but decided to go with Health Alliance based on their affiliation with the Carle Clinic in Mattoon and other area towns as well as with Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana.

“I really don’t have a problem with the state trying to get a reasonable price, but it has to be about quality,” Coleman said. “If it leads to meaningful negotiation, the process might have a positive outcome, but if it goes through as it is now without any changes, I can only see a negative effect.”

A press release sent out April 6 from the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services said the new plans available July 1 include: Blue Cross Blue Shield Health Maintenance Organization Illinois, BCBS Blue Advantage, Health Link Open Access Plan and PersonalCare Open Access Plan.

Julie Hamos, director of Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, stated, “providing high quality health care is our highest priority. Through these plans, we are also able to realize significant savings for taxpayers and improve our state’s fiscal health.”

However, several faculty members, including Bailey Young, a history professor, have expressed concerns that the proposed plans service mostly the Chicagoland area.

Young said he is “outraged” with the recent decision. Like Coleman, Young also used PersonalCare for a period of time before changing to Health Alliance.

“When I had surgery a couple of years ago, (Health Alliance) took really good care of me,” Young said. He later continued, “I have a concern it will disrupt the continuity of care for many people.”

Young has also written a letter to Gov. Pat Quinn stating his concerns.

“Health Alliance has consistently provided excellent quality care for me personally (this includes prostate surgery in 2008) and for my family, as well as for many people I know in Coles County,” Young said in his letter.

This approval for Health Alliance has also been reflected in Consumer Reports. The National Committee for Quality Assurance, a non-profit organization that offers reviews and accreditation for health insurance programs, gave Health Alliance five out of five stars in all five performance ratings and gave it an “excellent” accreditation status.

The Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services stated Illinois will save approximately $102 million per year from the new health care contracts.

However, Health Alliance representatives are questioning the validity of this figure.

“We are concerned about their claims,” said Jocelyn Browning, communications manager for Health Alliance. “We don’t think they have the correct numbers. We are working to try to show what they are claiming is unfounded.”

Richard Wandling, a political science professor, said he has concerns with this decision considering he and his household have used Health Alliance as their insurance provider since 1987.

“It affects me very directly,” Wandling said. “I am very concerned about what our future is in terms of healthcare coverage. However, I have some degree of optimism that this is not a final decision and, of course, that is going to depend on the political process.”

As a matter of fact, Health Alliance is taking action to ensure this is not a final decision.

Browning said the company has filed an intent to protest the decision.

On Monday, Health Alliance met with the Illinois Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability, a committee focused on providing legislature with research and information regarding state and national economies, revenue projections and operations of Illinois government. However, Browning said the committee will not be able to vote on the matter for two weeks.

Although nothing has been decided yet, Browning said the benefit choice period, currently set to run from May 1 through May 31, may be extended. While the Health Alliance protests are pending, the state cannot award the new contracts to Blue Cross Blue Shield.

Although many faculty and staff members are concerned, John Allison, an English professor and president of Eastern’s chapter of University Professionals of Illinois, believes some state employees think the new plans could save money.

Some think the state, single-payer system could be less expensive, Allison told The Daily Eastern News on Thursday.

Shelley Holmgren can be reached at 581-7942 or meholmgren@eiu.edu.