Senate bill would pave way for Medicaid, HIP conglomerate

A bill that would pave the way for the amalgamation of Medicaid and the Healthy Indiana Plan passed the House Committee on Public Health April 1.

The governor is proposing to make Medicaid available to about 400,00 more uninsured people.

Senate Bill 551 would allow the state to negotiate with the federal government regarding the state-created Healthy Indiana Plan as a substitute for the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion, according to a prepared statement from the bill’s author, Sen. Pat Miller, R-Indianapolis.

“Indiana’s response to the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion will hinge largely on whether or not the federal government allows Hoosiers to implement a healthcare program of our own choosing that is more cost-effective than Medicaid and promotes personal responsibility,” according to the statement.

The state already operates such a program, Miller said, and HIP has provided 100,000 low-income Indiana residents with health insurance since its inception in 2008.

“While I worry that changes made to SB 551 to the House committee will reduce the executive branch’s ability to negotiate with the federal government, I look forward to this bill moving forward in the legislative process so the House and Senate can come to a final agreement on the right approach,” she said.

— Anu Kumar