Benefits Administration must follow state procurement rules and procedures prior to contracting for benefits and services.
When a contract is expiring, Benefits Administration must work to secure a new contract so that member services continue without disruption. Benefits Administration uses a competitive bid process for all insurance benefits.
That process is called a request for proposal, or RFP. The RFP process includes proposals submitted by companies bidding on a contract. These are reviewed by a team, and the cost proposal is evaluated. The new contract is awarded to the company that receives the highest overall score through the evaluation process.
This may or may not be the insurance company holding the existing contract. With each new contract, insurance companies, networks and other changes may occur. Reviewing all materials provided by Benefits Administration, including any provider network information, during the Annual Enrollment period is always recommended for members.
If you would like to see all of the contracts, they can be found on the ParTNers for Health website at: https://www.tn.gov/partnersforhealth/contracts.html.