Indiana Advocates send letter to federal government—fix our Medicaid program.

In light of Indiana’s high procedural termination rate as COVID protections end, last week advocates from across Indiana sent a letter to the federal U.S. Department of Health and Human Services agency asking them to suspend unnecessary features of the Healthy Indiana Plan. Read the letter here. Specifically, we seek a removal of the bar on retroactive coverage and the permanent suspension of Power Account Contributions. These features have caused harm to vulnerable Hoosiers by increasing medical debt and limiting access to vital treatments, services, and medication. Removing the retroactive coverage bar could help individuals who are losing coverage at a rapid rate during the COVID unwinding. And given the high rate of procedural terminations, advocates are concerned that once Power Account Contributions are reintroduced, it will mean more unnecessary terminations or reductions in vital services (like dental) for otherwise eligible individuals. Earlier, HHS Secretary noted that the federal government would take “every possible action to keep people covered.” Now is the time to act.