Moore says 7,500 health insurance claims must be reprocessed; Coalition ‘took heat’ but did what it was hired to do

QUINCY — City Treasurer Linda Moore provided an update to the Quincy City Council on Monday night and explained that health insurance claims from 2022 and 2023 continue to be processed and that more than 7,500 claims must be re-processed.

However, she said the errors were not the city’s fault — nor were they the fault of Coalition Health, the broker for the city’s health insurance program for 2022 and 2023.

“(Coalition) took all the heat, right?” Moore said after Monday’s meeting. “They got kicked to the curb, but they did exactly what they were hired to do.”

Moore, whose last day as city treasurer is Wednesday, was asked by Mayor Mike Troup to work through the problems of the city’s health insurance plan. In her presentation to aldermen, she said the purpose of the HRA (Health Reimbursement Arrangement) established by Coalition was to save money on healthcare costs, buy down employee deductibles and stop cash infusions needed to fund the city’s portion.

Moore said the process never was fully explained to employees, and the lack of communication led to more confusion. Providers like Blessing Health and Quincy Medical Group didn’t know who to bill or when to bill, and employees didn’t get bills on time or know if a claim was paid.

The City Council voted in October to replace Coalition Health with Gallagher Insurance of Quincy starting Jan. 1, 2024. Moore said Blessing wrote off 2022 outstanding balances and billed patients for 2023 claims, while Quincy Medical Group is still reconciling 2022 and 2023 claims for city employees. She said Coalition saved employees money on prescription drugs and teledoc subscription fees. She also pointed out refunds from American Public Life ($674,368), Blessing ($23,092) and QMG (more than $150,000).

Moore also said Jim Baxter with Coalition Health has not been paid since December, but she’s going to recommend a “small amount” for the first four months of 2024 “and nothing after that.”

Eric Entrup (R-1) asked Moore if the city had any recourse for the 7,500 claims that must be refiled.

“I haven’t found any legal loopholes that would allow us to do that,” Moore said. “If somebody has a suggestion, I’m willing to look at it, but I’m not aware of anything.

“We all know the healthcare system is broken. We all know the health insurance system is broken. You get the two together, and you have a broken process. You have the perfect storm of a nightmare. That’s pretty much where we’ve been.”

At the end of Monday’s meeting, Jake Reed (R-6) offered his thoughts about a recent video interview with Kenzie Vallee, an OnlyFans.com model, on MuddyRiver.tv.

“Just a word of warning to young folks out there. It’s not a good thing,” Reed said. “Don’t post nude pictures of yourself online. It’s up there forever. Just think about the future. You may want to be a mother one day, and men might not necessarily want to marry you.”

“I know what OnlyFans is,” Mike Farha (R-4) said. “It’s not for everybody.”

“I’m not saying that everyone who’s on OnlyFans is a bad person,” Reed said. “Just a word of warning.”

In other action, aldermen: 

• Gave permission to Blessed Sacrament Parish to conduct a raffle for the Brad and Kristen Adams family through May 1, 2024.
• Approved a special event application from the Sister City Committee requesting permission to hold Germanfest on May 31 and June 1 in South Park. 
• Asked for an ordinance to be drafted allowing for a five-foot wide side/rear yard (reduced from required 15-foot) with sight-proof landscaping and/or fencing at 2929 Broadway, since the side/rear yard of a commercial zoning district is adjacent to a residential district. 
• Learned a request by Bruening Heating & Air Conditioning & Fireplaces for a variance at 1857 Broadway was withdrawn.
• Approved Mayor Mike Troup’s appointments of Dustin Edwards, Ashley Orr and Steven Gordon as auxiliary police officers; Kelly Mays (R-3) to the Quincy Public Library Board of Trustees; and Sarah Reynolds to serve as the residential property owner representative to the Quincy Adams County Enterprise Zone Board.
• Approved buying a new truck with snowplow, v-box and spreader for $182,100 from Rush Truck Center.
• Authorized the City to enter into a reciprocal agreement on exchange of Information with the Illinois Department of Revenue. 
• Approved a one-year memorandum of understanding with Clarity Healthcare at an annual cost of $10,200.
• Approved a proposal from Countryside Autoplex of LaGrange, Mo., for $16,415 for lawn maintenance services at 12 locations in Quincy. 
• Approved buying 500 roll-off garbage carts from Otto Environmental Systems of Charlotte, N.C., for $25,455.
• Approved spending $8,000 on two traffic signal controllers from Traffic Control Corporation of Ankeny, Iowa. 
• Approved the low bid from Rees Construction for $558,062.30 for the South 21st Street reconstruction project from Harrison to Jackson. 
• Approved the low bid from Hood Construction Group of Rushville for $3,198,814.70 for the South 12th Street reconstruction project from Jefferson to State.
• Approved a contract proposal from Klingner and Associates for an amount not exceeding $246,934 for assisting with on-site construction inspections during the upcoming construction season. 
• Approved paying $76,000 to Quincy Landfills 2 & 3 Superfund pursuant to the Quincy Landfill RD/RA site participation agreement.
• Adopted an ordinance amending the 2023-24 Fiscal Year budget that increases PPRT revenue $550,000 to increase transfers to Quincy Public Library, Police and Fire Pension Funds by $185,400 and increase vehicle replacement funding by $364,600. The tourism tax fund was increased to expend a transfer of $95,500 for the general fund and cost shares.
• Adopted an ordinance rezoning property at 329 N. 24th Street from single-family residential (R1C) to commercial (C1B) to align the zoning with its current use as a parking lot for a financial institution.
• Adopted an ordinance amending the traffic code to allow for a yield sign at the intersection of Ridgecrest Drive and Drake Drive, with eastbound and westbound traffic on Ridgecrest Drive yielding to traffic on Drake Drive. 
• Learned a meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the Quincy Town Center to talk about the Quincy Police Department’s beat coverage.
• Learned the three dogs involved in attacking a man in South Park last week have been taken to the Western Illinois Veterinary Clinic and will be euthanized.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Moore contacted Muddy River News on Tuesday and said the number of claims to be reprocessed is 3,500, not 7,500. “That’s my mistake, but it’s still a big number,” she said.