(a) It is the intent of the General Assembly to support unified electronic systems initiatives that will improve management of information related to medical assistance programs. This will include improved management capabilities and new systems for Eligibility, Verification, and Enrollment (EVE) that will simplify and increase efficiencies in and access to the medical assistance programs and ensure program integrity. The Department of Healthcare and Family Services, in coordination with the Department of Human Services and other appropriate state agencies, shall develop a plan by July 1, 2011, that will:

(1) Subject to federal and State privacy and confidentiality laws and regulations, meet standards for timely eligibility verification and enrollment, and annual redetermination of eligibility, of applicants for and recipients of means-tested health benefits sponsored by the State, including medical assistance under this Code.

(2) Receive and update data electronically from the Social Security Administration, the U.S. Postal Service, the Illinois Secretary of State, the Department of Revenue, the Department of Employment Security, and other governmental entities, as appropriate and to the extent allowed by law, for verification of any factor of eligibility for medical assistance and for updating addresses of applicants and recipients of medical assistance and other health benefit programs administered by the Department. Data relevant to eligibility shall be provided for no other purpose than to verify the eligibility of new applicants or current recipients of health benefits provided by the State. Data shall be requested or provided for any individual only insofar as that new applicant or current recipient's circumstances are relevant to that individual's or another individual's eligibility for State-sponsored health benefits.

(3) Meet federal requirements for timely installation by January 1, 2014 to provide integration with a Health Benefits Exchange pursuant to the requirements of the federal Affordable Care Act and the Reconciliation Act and any subsequent amendments thereto and to ensure capture of the maximum available federal financial participation (FFP).

(4) Meet federal requirements for compliance with architectural standards, including, but not limited to, (i) the use of a module development as outlined by the Medicaid Information Technology Architecture standards, (ii) the use of federally approved open-interfaces where they exist, (iii) the use or the creation of open-interfaces where necessary, and (iv) the use of rules technology that can dynamically accept and modify rules in standard formats.

(5) Include plans to ensure coordination with the State of Illinois Framework Project that will (i) expedite and simplify access to services provided by Illinois human services programs; (ii) streamline administration and data sharing; (iii) enhance planning capacity, program evaluation, and fraud detection or prevention with access to cross-agency data; and (iv) simplify service reporting for contracted providers.