June 22, 2010
Illinois Department of Insurance Announces Public Hearing on Standard Health Insurance Application
June 24 meeting will focus on health insurance applications to be used by all Illinois health insurers beginning in 2011
CHICAGO - June 22, 2010. The Illinois Department of Insurance announced today that the Health Application Working Group (“Working Group”) will host a public hearing to receive comments on the final drafts of a standard health insurance application that will be used by all Illinois health insurers beginning January 1, 2011. The public hearing will take place Thursday, June 24, 2010, from 3 p.m. - 4 p.m. at the Department’s offices in Springfield and Chicago:
James R. Thompson Center
100 W. Randolph Street
9th Floor, Videoconference Room (9-375)
Chicago, IL 60601
300 W. Washington
4th Floor, Videoconference Room
Springfield, IL 62767
The final drafts of the standard applications may be viewed on the Department’s website at http://insurance.illinois.gov/HAWG.
Members of the public may offer comments on the standard applications in one of three ways:
- Attend the public hearing at the Chicago or Springfield locations;
- Participate in the public hearing via conference call; or
- Submit written comments via email. Comments received before 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, June 23, will be reviewed during the public hearing.
Please contact Josef Weimholt at joe.weimholt@illinois.gov for call-in information, to submit comments, to RSVP for the public hearing, and for any additional information.
During the public hearing, the Working Group will answers questions about the standard applications and receive comments from interested parties.
The Working Group was created from the mandate of Public Act 95-857, which required the development of standard health insurance applications to allow individuals and small businesses in Illinois to compare competing health insurance plans.
The Working Group—with members from diverse backgrounds—worked for the last four months to develop and refine the standard applications. The Working Group created standard health insurance applications for employees of small businesses (50 or fewer employees) and for individual and family health insurance coverage.
More Information
The Department’s mission is to protect consumers by providing assistance and information, by efficiently regulating the insurance industry’s market behavior and financial solvency, and by fostering a competitive insurance marketplace. The Department assists consumers with all insurance complaints, including health, auto, life, and homeowner. Consumers in need of information or assistance should visit the Department’s Web site at www.illinois.insurance.gov or call our toll-free hotline at (877) 527-9431.