Pence Set to Meet With HHS Secretary
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowGovernor Mike Pence is scheduled today to discuss a proposed federal waiver for the Healthy Indiana Plan 2.0 with Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell in Washington D.C. The meeting follows a brief discussion last week with President Barack Obama on the same subject during a trip to southwest Indiana. The administration has previously approved the renewal of the current version of HIP twice.
October 6, 2014
Doug Leonard, President, Indiana Hospital Association Statement on Gov. Pence Meeting with HHS Secretary Burwell Regarding HIP 2.0 Waiver
The Indiana Hospital Association eagerly awaits the outcome of today's planned meeting between Governor Mike Pence and US Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell on our state's proposed expansion of the Healthy Indiana Plan (HIP).
We urge the HHS and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) toward a speedy approval of Indiana's waiver program, called HIP 2.0. Through HIP 2.0, our members could begin enrolling as many as 350,000 of uninsured, working Hoosiers as early as next January. Hospitals throughout the state are already preparing to educate patients about their new coverage options and are counting on a speedy resolution.
Indiana’s hospitals have committed significant financial support to help fund the HIP 2.0 program and leverage billions in federal matching dollars. And support from hospitals has been echoed by numerous advocacy groups representing health clinics, physicians, mental health providers, as well as Hoosiers most at risk – the working poor and their families.
By approving HIP 2.0 without delay, CMS will enable our uninsured population to soon get the care they now so desperately need.
Indiana Hospital Association is a non-profit organization that serves as the professional trade association for 164 Hoosier hospitals. These members are either independent or a member of one of the 23 systems in the state. Membership includes hospitals, multi-hospital systems and community mental health centers. The mission of the IHA is to provide leadership, representation and services in the common best interests of its members as they promote the improvement of community health status. IHA’s primary responsibility is to represent the interests of hospitals in matters of public policy. IHA also provides members with education, communications and data collection services.
Sources: The Indiana Hospital Association, The Office of Governor Mike Pence, Inside INdiana Business