Illinois has awarded a more than $4 billion prison medical care contract to the same company it’s used for three decades, despite multimillion-dollar lawsuits against the firm and statewide complaints alleging substandard care.
Pittsburgh-based Wexford Health Sources was one of two companies responding to a request for proposals from the Illinois Department of Corrections, but it was not the low bidder. Wexford’s offer came in $673 million higher than one from VitalCore Health Strategies of Topeka, Kansas, according to a procurement announcement reviewed Friday by The Associated Press.
The initial term of Wexford’s contract is five years for $1.956 billion, with a five-year renewal worth $2.201 billion.
State officials’ decisions on contract awards are not based on cost alone. But Wexford has also been roundly criticized for its performance, facing numerous multimillion-dollar lawsuits that accuse the company of delayed or shoddy health care and backlash for relying on off-site doctors to determine whether and what treatment is necessary. Positions for medical professionals continue to suffer high vacancy rates.
That’s what public prisons are. Everything has been contracted out so it’s almost the same as a private prison. It just doesn’t have a minimum capacity contract.