National health insurance reform legislation may have passed, but now comes the hard part: implementing it in a way that benefits the people.

How will Illinois’ physicians handle an influx of new patients? How will the state of Illinois ensure that all of its residents not only have insurance, but have access to high quality, affordable care?

A bill calling for the implementation of a task force devoted to addressing those questions  passed in the Senate last month and on Tuesday passed through a House committee. A vote could be put to the full House as early as next week. , said Rep. Mary E. Flowers (D-Chicago), who sponsored the House version of the bill. The measure would establish the Health Care Justice Implementation Act, designed to ensure the efficient, effective and fair implementation of health insurance reform in Illinois.

“We have to make sure that the insurance companies aren’t the total benefactors of [health reform] legislation and that the people of the state of Illinois will be protected and have access to care,” Flowers  said.

Task form members would be appointed by Gov. Pat Quinn and leaders of the General Assembly.The body would likely include a mix of lawmakers, doctors, consumers, leaders of community health centers, and insurance company consultants, said Jonathan VanderBrug, Health Care Justice Director for Illinois’ Campaign for Better Health Care.

They would be responsible for making sure federally mandated health insurance reforms are implemented in Illinois.

“The federal government can set insurance regulation and insurance reform policy, but it’s up to the state to implement that,” VanderBrug said.

For instance, federal law will require insurance companies to cover all individuals with pre-existing conditions by 2014.   However, in June, Illinois will create a new “high-risk insurance pool,” to help people who currently have pre-existing and in some cases disabling conditions get coverage sooner.

Illinois will help private insurance companies pool their resources so that people with pre-existing conditions can get coverage, VanderBrug said.

Beginning Sept. 1, the state will also be responsible for making sure insurance companies no longer rescind health care coverage for their paying customers. What that means is insurance companies can no longer cover you when you’re healthy, but say ‘sorry Charlie,’ when they learn you had an illness that you did not report.

“If you have a health insurance plan and you’ve paid your premiums and done everything right, your insurance company can’t deny you coverage when you get sick,” VanderBrug said. Also in September, Illinois must begin enforcing a mandate that children with pre-existing conditions can get health care coverage. And they also must monitor insurance companies to make sure they remove life-time caps on health care coverage, VanderBrug said.

JoAnn Osmond, Republican Spokesperson for the House’s Health Care Availability and Accessibility Committee, said that, although she doesn’t agree with the federal health insurance reforms, she believes the task force is necessary. “[Reform] needs to be put in place slowly and cautiously,” she said.

“Ultimately, it’s going to take all of us keeping our eyes on this to make sure insurance companies don’t try again to take away the rights of the people to have access to care,” Flowers said.