Medicaid Plans in Illinois Form Lobby Group Whose Goal is to Expand Medicaid Managed Care

HealthLeaders-InterStudy, a leading provider of managed care industry intelligence, finds that Medicaid health plans in Illinois have formed a new lobbying group -- the Illinois Association of Medicaid Health Plans. According to the latest issue of the Illinois Health Plan Analysis, the group was formed in January, one month after the Illinois Association of Health Plans closed its doors.

"While still working to find its footing, the new group's initial agenda can be distilled into just three words: expand managed care," said Rick Byrne, HealthLeaders-InterStudy analyst. "There is more room for growth in Illinois, where just 8.3% of the state's 1.7 million Medicaid recipients are in managed care. The national average is around 60%."

  Other Health Plan News in Illinois:   * Aetna Inc. has been chosen to run a new Medicare care-management pilot     program in the Chicago area.   * Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois is offering the state's first     tiered network in its individual and PPO line.   * Illinois Health Solutions has applied to be the Quad Cities area's sixth     Medicaid HMO    About HealthLeaders-InterStudy 

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  For more information, contact:    Elizabeth Marshall    Decision Resources    781-296-2563    emarshall@dresources.com 

SOURCE: Decision Resources, Inc.