Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that amends the Illinois Health Benefits Exchange

Highlights:

• Requires health plans under the Illinois Health Benefits Exchange to be made available for enrollment by October 1, 2014 (Sec. 20).

• Requires a health plan under the exchange to meet certain requirements, including, but not limited to, the following requirements (Sec. 20):
• The plan provides the “essential health benefits package” as described in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (2010), which includes, but is not limited to, general health care categories and services; and
• The plan is offered by a health carrier that charges the same premium rate for each qualified health plan regardless of whether the plan is offered through the exchange.

• Establishes the “Illinois Health Benefits Exchange Board” to govern and administer the exchange, which shall consist of 11 voting members and 4 non-voting members appointed by the governor by January 1, 2014 (Sec. 20).

• Requires the governor to make appointments that reflect no less than “proportional representation” of the geographic, gender, cultural, racial, and ethnic composition of the state of Illinois (Sec. 20).

• Requires at least 7 voting members to represent the following interest groups, with each interest group represented by at least 1 member (Sec. 20):
• A labor interest group;
• A women’s interest group;
• A minorities’ interest group;
• A disabled persons’ interest group;
• A small business interest group; and
• A public health interest group.

• Prohibits no more than 4 voting members from representing the following interests, with a limit of 2 members per interest (Sec. 20):
• The insurance industry;
• Health care administrators; and
• Licensed health care professionals.

• Requires the board to adopt “conflict of interest” rules and recusal procedures that meet the following requirements (Sec. 20):
• The procedures prohibit a member from performing an official act to which he or she has a related financial interest; and
• The procedures require a member to recuse himself or herself from an official matter if a related financial interest exists.

• Establishes an assessment on insurance carriers to be determined by multiplying the total assessment necessary to fund the board budget by the quotient of that insurer’s direct Illinois premiums and the total of all insurer’s direct Illinois premiums in the previous calendar year (Sec. 20).

• Repeals the insurance operations of the Comprehensive Health Insurance Plan Act, effective January 1, 2014, and repeals the entire Act on January 1, 2015 (Sec. 15).

Full Bill Text