HEALTHCARE/OBAMACARE(ACA)/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “As the Trump administration moves to give states more flexibility in running Medicaid, advocates for the poor are keeping a close eye on Indiana to see whether such conservative ideas improve or harm care.
Indiana in 2015 implemented some of the most radical changes seen to the state-federal program that covers nearly 1 in 4 low-income Americans — including charging some adults a monthly premium and locking out for six months some of those who don’t pay their premiums.
The changes were a part of Indiana’s deal with the Obama administration to expand Medicaid eligibility, adding about 240,000 Hoosiers to the Medicaid rolls under the Affordable Care Act… The controversial monthly fees and lockout provisions were spearheaded by then-Gov. Mike Pence, now vice president, and his top health consultant, Seema Verma, now head of the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
That demonstration project, known as Healthy Indiana, is up for renewal in February; state officials seek to add work requirements similar to what CMS approved for Kentucky last month and to widen who is subject to lockouts.
With CMS expected to approve Indiana’s renewal in the coming days, much remains unknown about how well Healthy Indiana is working, such as whether it has improved the efficiency of Medicaid.”
-Phil Galewitz, “Indiana’s Brand Of Medicaid Drops 25,000 People For Failure To Pay Premiums,” NPR, Feb. 1, 2018 09:52am