In the year 2025, there is a possibility that the insurance coverage of hundreds of thousands of Hoosiers may be jeopardized.
The assumption here is that the federal government will reduce its portion of the costs associated with Medicaid when the Trump administration takes office the following month.
In the event that this is the case, Indiana is particularly vulnerable because of a state code that is several years old.
“Medicaid removes a lot of that barrier for people who wouldn’t go to the doctor because they’re afraid of a huge bill,” said Eva Bell, who works for Hoosier Action, a nonpartisan organization that focuses on helping common people who are at the core of major issues, including healthcare.
Some individuals with low incomes are eligible for health coverage through Medicaid, which is a program that is jointly run by the federal government and the states. Approximately two million people in the state of Indiana are currently insured by Medicaid.
“At the end of the day,” Bell remarked to reporters, “all Hoosiers, we want to be able to go to the doctor.”
At the moment, the state of Indiana provides the Healthy Indiana Plan, which is a Medicaid program that covers more than 754,000 residents of the state. It is the responsibility of the federal government to pay for ninety percent of its expenses.
On the other hand, President-elect Donald Trump has pledged to reduce a variety of funds during his term in the Oval Office, which is scheduled to take place shortly before his inauguration. It is anticipated by specialists that Medicaid may be one of the potential targets for the cutting block.
“I think the impacts are going to be incredibly detrimental,” Bell stated, “and we are all going to be impacted by it. Not just those who are on Medicaid. This is the health and future of our state.”
A reduction in funding would put Indiana in a particularly precarious position.
This is due to the fact that Indiana is one of only nine states that maintains a “trigger law” that mandates the state to revert to an older, less comprehensive version of the Healthy Indiana Plan in the event that the level of federal funding falls below the 90% threshold.
“We don’t really know what that is going to look like,” Bell stated. “What we do know is how detrimental that’s going to be, because 750,000 is not just a number. That’s like the mom in the grocery store with her kids. That’s your neighbor.”
Medicaid is something that Bell has personal experience with. “I was on Medicaid at one point,” Bell explained to reporters, “and it saved my life.”
The experts remind out that the projected reductions to Medicaid are not even close to being finalized.
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In point of fact, according to our newsgathering friends at the Indiana Capital Chronicle, the incoming governor of Indiana, Mike Braun, has stated that he would “rather not” reduce the Medicaid benefits that are provided to students in the state.
During this interim period, Bell requests that residents of Indiana who are receiving Medicaid check their mail frequently and get in touch with the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration if they have any issues.
