Indiana Gov. Offers Alternative Medicaid Expansion Plan

Gov. Mike Pence announced a major push to expand Medicaid -- but in his own way -- to cover an additional 350,000 low-income Indiana adults.  

The New York Times: Indiana Seeks More Coverage For Poor, But Many Would Pay
The governor of Indiana, Mike Pence, on Thursday proposed using federal Medicaid funds available under the Affordable Care Act to expand a state health insurance program to cover an additional 350,000 low-income adults. But unlike traditional Medicaid, the plan would require many participants to make monthly contributions toward the cost of coverage (Goodnough, 5/15).

The Wall Street Journal: Indiana Proposes Alternative To Medicaid
Indiana Gov. Mike Pence on Thursday said he wants to use Medicaid funding under the federal health-care law to expand coverage in his state, but that any expansion of it would have to come on his own terms. The proposal is the latest from a small group of mostly Republican governors pursuing alternative ways to tap billions of dollars in federal Medicaid money available under the Affordable Care Act. Most GOP governors are refusing the additional federal money outright, while those who have wanted to expand Medicaid faced objections from GOP-led legislatures (Peters and Radnofsky, 5/15).

Politico: Mike Pence Proposes Indiana Medicaid Expansion Plan
Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, whose rising national profile is feeding 2016 presidential buzz, has become the latest Republican governor to embrace a core component of Obamacare — with a conservative twist. Pence, like Ohio Gov. John Kasich and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie before him, announced a major push Thursday to expand Medicaid under the health care law and follow 26 states that have extended coverage to a larger share of their low-income residents (Cheney, 5/15).

The Washington Post’s Wonkblog: Another Conservative Governor Finds Way To Expand Medicaid
It looks as if Indiana is about to join the list of red states signing up for Obamacare's Medicaid expansion.
Republican Gov. Mike Pence, after months of discussions with the Obama administration, is offering a new plan Thursday morning to expand coverage to low-income uninsured Hoosiers. As expected, he's doing it through an existing state insurance program for adults that's been championed by some conservatives (Millman, 5/15).

CQ Healthbeat: Indiana GOP Governor Proposes Medicaid Expansion Using HSA’s
Republican Gov. Mike Pence of Indiana proposed an expansion of Medicaid Thursday that would have some consumers contribute to the cost of their coverage. But Pence took out some controversial parts of a ongoing state effort, such as limiting benefits and maintaining a waiting list. If the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services approves the plan that Pence announced Thursday, Indiana would become the 28th jurisdiction, including the District of Columbia, to expand Medicaid. That does not include Pennsylvania, which has already sent a plan to CMS for approval. The Indiana expansion would start in 2015 (Adams, 5/16).