Governor Submits Healthy Indiana Plan Waiver Request
Governor Mike Pence has submitted the Healthy Indiana Plan (HIP) 2.0 waiver application to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. Through this waiver, the state seeks to expand the consumer-driven Healthy Indiana Plan to 350,000 uninsured Hoosiers. The waiver to extend the current Healthy Indiana Plan, which covers 45,000 Hoosiers, was submitted by its deadline on Monday, June 30.
The state recently ended a 30-day formal public notice and comment period during which Hoosiers reviewed the waiver for the expansion of the Healthy Indiana Plan and submitted comments to the state. The administration will submit the comments with the HIP 2.0 waiver to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The administration is hopeful for a timely response so that more uninsured Hoosiers can realize the benefits of this successful, consumer-driven health plan.
The Healthy Indiana Plan began in 2008 under a 5-year waiver from the federal government, and it was continued by two 1-year waivers granted in 2012 and 2013. It is the nation’s first consumer-directed plan for Medicaid recipients. Since passage of the Affordable Care Act, Indiana has sought to continue the program through a series of discussions and waiver requests with CMS, a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The waiver application, as well as the Governor’s letter to HHS Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell, can be found by clicking on the links.