INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana plans to seek federal approval to continue a health insurance program that covers about 418,000 low-income residents amid a pending lawsuit that could eliminate nearly all the program’s funding.
The Indiana Family and Social Services Administration posted a notice of its intent to request the Healthy Indiana Plan extend until 2030. It would otherwise expire at the end of 2020.
The program is funded by federal Medicaid dollars, but Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill Jr. is backing the lawsuit that would eliminate the Affordable Care Act.
HIP is an approved alternative to the Medicaid expansion provided for by the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.
Without federal funding, Indiana likely could not afford to continue HIP.
Jim Gavin, FSSA spokesman, said the agency is monitoring the lawsuit and remains committed to HIP.
Hill argued earlier this year that the law is a government overreach, The Times reported Monday.
“Congress should never have imposed the one-size-fits-all mandate in the first place. Choice, freedom and the roles of the individual states must remain part of the health care equation in America.”
The state is also proposing to extend the expanded substance abuse and serious mental illness components of HIP through 2025, according to the notice.
An independent evaluation of HIP that’s planned to accompany Indiana’s renewal application found that the program has improved health care access in Indiana, particularly for people who were previously uninsured.
Information from: The Times, http://www.nwitimes.com
