INDIANAPOLIS – Hundreds of thousands of Hoosiers are waiting on a decision that could change their lives.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services are reviewing the state’s federal waiver request to use the existing Healthy Indiana Plan to help low-income residents access health insurance coverage without expanding traditional Medicaid.
Caitlin Finnegan Priest, director of policy and communications for Covering Kids and Families of Indiana, says it would extend coverage to 350,000 low-income residents.
“We know 59 percent of them work sometimes one, two, or more than two jobs but either don’t have coverage or can’t afford coverage at work,” she says. “These folks have oftentimes gone without insurance for a very long time and they may have a host of chronic conditions that need to get treated.”
The current Healthy Indiana Plan program is for those between the ages of 19 and 64 with incomes up to 100 percent of the federal poverty level and caps the number of enrollees without dependents. The new proposal, HIP 2.0, expands the income eligibility to 138 percent of federal poverty level and will not cap the number of enrollees.
Priest says they are hoping for speedy approval so those who have fallen into the coverage gap can finally access needed medical services.
“Our grassroots enrollment folks have to turn away people who come to us looking for help finding something they qualify for and we have to tell them there’s nothing for them in the state of Indiana for affordable health coverage so we really want to make sure we get this approved as soon as possible,” she says.
There is no timeline for a decision from the federal government, but Priest says it could come as early as the end of next month. If HIP 2.0 is not approved, the state will submit a request to preserve the current Health Indiana Plan for current enrollees. Waivers to implement Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act were approved in Arkansas, Iowa, Michigan and Pennsylvania.
Mary Kuhlman
