A private prison health care company accused of substandard care is awarded new contract in Illinois

abcnews.go.com:

Illinois officials have awarded a prison medical care contract to the same company it's been using for years, despite multimillion-dollar lawsuits and widespread accusations of substandard care

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — 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.

A panel of experts appointed by a federal judge concluded in 2015 that the Corrections Department's health care system was “unable to meet minimal constitutional standards.” Additional admonishments from the federal bench have subsequently followed.

Camille Bennett, director of the Corrections Reform Project for the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois, said it was “disappointing and