Federal Gov't Renews Healthy Indiana Plan Through 2015

Tuesday, November 18, 2014 at 6:28 AM

By Mike Perleberg

Indiana Governor Mike Pence. File photo.

(Indianapolis, Ind.) - Nearly 61,000 Hoosiers who have insurance through the Healthy Indiana Plan are keeping their benefits in 2015.

Governor Mike Pence said Monday that the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services approved the renewal last week. The governor’s office was notified Friday evening. HIP – which Pence says has proven itself since it first began in 2007 – is available for adults who are under 100 percent of federal poverty level but may not otherwise qualify for Medicaid. “Since this marks the third time the Obama Administration has approved the Healthy Indiana Plan in its current form, we hope that this decision signals an openness by this Administration to move forward with approval of HIP 2.0, which is built on the same principles of personal responsibility and consumer choice,” said Pence. The decision does not affect Pence's proposed expansion of the program called HIP 2.0, a system that asks users to pay some of their own money into. For that to happen, the federal government must approve a waiver allowing the state to use HIP 2.0 as an alternative to an expanded Medicaid program under the Affordable Care Act. If so, HIP 2.0 would cover another 350,000 uninsured Hoosiers. Pence’s staff and federal officials have been discussing HIP 2.0 since the state submitted the plan for approval last July. Last month, the governor met with President Barack Obama and Heath and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell face-to-face. The proposed new version of HIP would provide health coverage to non-disabled adults until 138 percent of federal poverty level. RELATED STORIES: Hundreds of Thousands of Hoosiers Waiting for Green Light on “HIP 2.0″ Pence Reveals Details Of HIP 2.0 Proposal HIP At Capacity; Enrollment Halted Governor Sends HIP Waiver Request To DHHS