After facing an outcry, the Massachusetts Group Insurance Commission (GIC) which controls health benefits for public employees and their families, voted on Thursday to reverse its controversial decision to limit health plan options.

The GIC’s proposal came under attack soon after its Jan. 18 decision to eliminate commercial health plans from Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Tufts Health Plan, and Fallon Health. The change would have forced about 200,000 state and municipal employees and their families to move to coverage under three lesser-known health insurers.

“Members of SEIU Local 888 and all of the other public service unions should be congratulated for blasting the commission’s proposed change,” said Mark DelloRusso, President of Local 888. “Now we need to win changes in the GIC’s governance so that incidents like this don’t happen again.”