25k removed from Indiana Medicaid for not paying premiums: 5 things to know

Indiana expanded its Medicaid program in 2015 with a number of conservative policy caveats. Three years later, newly available state-level data provides insight into the possible influence of such policies, according to a Kaiser Health News report.

Here are five things to know.

1. Indiana's Medicaid program — dubbed the Healthy Indiana Plan — provides coverage for low-income adults ages 19 to 64. It contains various conservative-leaning measures, including a monthly premium for some. If enrollees with incomes from 101 to 138 percent of the federal poverty level don't pay these premiums for six months, they may be removed from the plan, according to the report.

2. From the time the program began in 2015 to October 2017, about 25,000 adults were locked out because they did not pay their premiums, state officials said, according to KHN. But they project from recipient surveys about 50 percent of those adults received insurance through their employer or another source, the publication reports.

3. State data shows about 10,000 Indiana Medicaid enrollees were subject to the program's lockout provisions for two consecutive months during 2015 and 2016, according to the report. The publication did not receive that data for 2017.

4. The Indiana results come as the state seeks to implement Medicaid work requirements, per new guidance from CMS. Federal officials have already approved Kentucky's request to implement such requirements, although the decision is facing a legal challenge from a group of state residents.

5. Vice President Mike Pence was the state's governor during implementation of the Indiana Medicaid program. Seema Verma, now CMS administrator, served as a consultant for the state at that time.

Read the full KHN report here.

 

More articles on payer issues:
Cigna's Q4 profits fall 30.4%, but FY net income up: 4 things to know
Anthem Q4 profits surpass $1B after one-time tax benefit: 3 things to know
Anthem's discretionary ED policy lands patient with $12k bill: 8 things to know

Copyright © 2024 Becker's Healthcare. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy. Cookie Policy. Linking and Reprinting Policy.

 

Top 40 articles from the past 6 months