CHICAGO, Oct. 29, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- IlliniCare Health Plan (IlliniCare), a subsidiary of Centene Corporation (NYSE: CNC), and Aetna Better Health of Illinois, a subsidiary of Aetna, today announced a joint effort with the State of Illinois to pilot a Breast Cancer Screening and Treatment program for its valued members and providers.
Through a collaborative effort, IlliniCare Health Plan and Aetna Better Health of Illinois are working closely with the Illinois Department of HealthCare and Family Services and the Department of Public Health to ensure women in all communities have access to high quality mammograms and breast cancer treatment.
Under this initiative, the Medicaid reimbursement rate for screenings and diagnostic mammograms are increased to the higher Medicare rate to providers who agree to meet access and quality goals and report their screening detection rates and other screening quality measures to the Chicago Breast Cancer Quality Consortium / Metropolitan Chicago Breast Cancer Task Force.
The National Cancer Institute recommends women between 40-64 years old should get mammograms every 1 to 2 years.
IlliniCare Health Plan provides additional mammogram screening benefits for its members:
- Every three years; for women between 20 and 39 years of age.
- Annually; for women 40 years of age and older.
Aetna Better Health of Illinois provides additional mammogram screening benefits for its members:
- Annually; for women 40 years of age and older.
- For women aged 20–39 years, clinical breast examinations are recommended every 1–3 years.
For individuals not enrolled within the IlliniCare Health Plan or Aetna Better Health of Illinois, the state offers free mammogram screenings for low-income women in the Medicaid Program and for uninsured women between ages 40-64 through the Illinois Breast and Cervical Cancer Program (IBCCP).
"Through this collaborative effort, we can all help improve the population health throughout Illinois," said Jeff Joy, President and CEO of IlliniCare. "This is a great stride to ensure women have access to quality mammograms and to quality treatment. I am pleased our partners share a common vision and goal for breast cancer awareness and are raising the bar for prevention and early detection."
"At Aetna Better Health, we believe in delivering the best care through a collaborative approach," said Sanjoy Musunuri, CEO of Aetna Better Health. "Early detection and clinical follow-up is critical to breast cancer awareness. We are very excited to be partners in a program that is aimed at improving wellness by promoting quality, access, and treatment."
About IlliniCare
IlliniCare Health Plan (IlliniCare) is a Managed Care Organization (MCO) contracted to provide services under Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services Integrated Care Program and the Medicare-Medicaid Alignment Initiative (MMAI). IlliniCare is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Centene Corporation (NYSE: CNC), a leading multi-line healthcare enterprise offering both core Medicaid and specialty services. Since May 1st, 2011, IlliniCare has served approximately 17,900 members as part of the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services Integrated Care Program (ICP) in suburban Cook (outside the 606 zip code), DuPage, Lake, Kane, Kankakee and Will Counties. In April of this year, IlliniCare expanded the Integrated Care Program to serve Boone, McHenry and Winnebago Counties. IlliniCare was also recently been named as one of the six Managed Care Organizations selected by the Department of Healthcare and Family Services to participate in the Medicare-Medicaid Alignment Initiative (MMAI) in the greater Chicago area. Information regarding IlliniCare is available at www.illinicare.com.
About Aetna Better Health of Illinois
Aetna Better Health of Illinois is a nationally-recognized leader with 23 years of experience in Medicaid managed care, serving just under 2 million beneficiaries in 18 states. In Illinois, Aetna Better Health coordinates the care for just over 18,000 individuals in the Integrated Care Program for seniors and persons with disabilities who have Medicaid only. It is designed to link primary, specialty, long-term care and community services for individuals based on their needs, strengths and expressed goals. Information regarding Aetna Better Health of Illinois is available at www.aetnabetterhealth.com/Illinois.
SOURCE IlliniCare Health Plan