Six insurers received HealthChoice Illinois contracts, totaling $431 billion across the initial and renewal terms.
HealthChoice Illinois is the state’s managed Medicaid program. A June 8 document from the Illinois Chief Procurement Office for General Services shows five plans available throughout the state, with CountyCare Health Plan — which only serves Cook County — as an alternative:
1. Aetna Better Health of Illinois
2. Health Care Service Corp. (operating through Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois)
3. Humana Benefit Plan of Illinois
4. Meridian Health Plan of Illinois (under Centene)
5. Molina Healthcare of Illinois
6. CountyCare Health Plan (Cook County Health and Hospitals System)
Besides CountyCare, the remaining insurers had the same total bid amounts. The Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services told Becker’s these are planning estimates, not guaranteed expenditures.
“We’re committed to helping improve the health and well-being of communities in Illinois, and being selected for a contract enables us to continue our support of Medicaid members throughout the state,” Aetna Better Health of Illinois CEO Melanie Fernando said in a June 8 statement shared with Becker’s. “We’re excited to collaborate with the state, local healthcare providers and community-based organizations to significantly enhance the coordination, quality and accessibility of healthcare in Illinois.”
The current HealthChoice Illinois contracts expire Dec. 31, 2026. They first went into effect in 2018, with a four-year initial term and a four-year renewal period. The new contracts, which now feature Humana beyond its dual-eligible special needs plan offering, have an initial term of 4.5 years and a renewal of 5.5 years.
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