The Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services' (HFS) contract with DentaQuest to administer the state's Medicaid dental plan has come under fire after the agency renewed the $255 million contract without taking bids.
Senate Republicans say new bids might have saved the state some money and also avoided the appearance of impropriety because the HFS director used to work for a law firm that lobbies on behalf of DentaQuest, according to a story in the State Journal-Register.
An HFS spokesman said DentaQuest wasn't given preferential treatment, and it was more cost-effective for the agency to renew the contract than rebid it, according to the story. DentaQuest receives 5% to 6% of the contract ($11 million) annually for its services.
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