Healthy Indiana For Who?

 Americans, Hoosiers, need to understand our healthcare system sucks. Republicans keep trying to scare us about a single-payer Canadian system, but the Canadians are not overpaying for poor health. If you want to portray yourself as a practical-minded fiscal conservative, remember that an unhealthy workforce is an unproductive workforce.

But Indiana Republicans persist in punishing working-class Hoosiers: Medicaid caps and tax relief top Senate Republican list.

Another priority bill would introduce a cap to the state’s Healthy Indiana Plan, an expansion of traditional Medicaid to cover moderate-income Hoosiers who can’t afford other options.

Sen. Ryan Mishler’s proposal would limit the number of enrollees to 500,000 — below the 692,028 beneficiaries currently on HIP — and limit Hoosiers to 36 months of coverage over their lifetime.

“Keep in mind that this is childless adults that are able-bodied, working individuals that are on this plan and will continue to be on this plan,” said Mishler, R-Mishawaka. “… there’s a lot of work to be done with Medicaid, but I think this bill is a start to work with the administration and get that under control.”

The fiscal impact of the legislation is uncertain, as 90% of HIP’s costs are covered by the federal government and the remaining 10% is funded by a hospital provider tax and cigarette tax.

Additionally, the bill would also reintroduce work requirements — something that would have to be approved by the federal government — with limited exceptions. Mishler didn’t rule out the possibility that the proposal would create another waitlist.

“If you want to take away waitlists, then you have to say, ‘Do we want to cut education to not have waitlists? I mean, those are the decisions we’ll face here,” Mishler said.

House Democrats disagreed.

“Where there’s a will, there’s a way,” said House Minority Leader Phil GiaQuinta.

GiaQuinta, D-Fort Wayne, and his colleagues pointed to a plan to expand school vouchers to the wealthiest Hoosiers as well as dollars sent to the Indiana Economic Development Corp. as potential sources of funding for Medicaid and public school priorities.

Eliminating waitlists, which include seniors, disabled Hoosiers and parents seeking child care, is one of the goals for the caucus in 2024 alongside property tax relief and “fully funding” public schools.

Is it that Indiana Democrats were feckless in campaigning on this issue, or that Hoosiers prefer what the Republicans give them?

sch 5:27 AM