HIP Expansion Lands Approval

Holcomb and Azar announced the approval Friday in Indianapolis.

The state has received federal approval to continue to offer the Healthy Indiana Plan 2.0. At a news conference Friday alongside U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, Governor Eric Holcomb says the state will also be able to enhance and expand services to further fight the opioid epidemic.

HIP 2.0, which currently covers more than 400,000 low-income adults in Indiana, will now run through December 2020. The enhancements to the program include up to $80 million in annual funding to support the fight against opioid addiction, such as expanding access to addiction treatment options for both HIP and Medicaid members.

HIP members will also have access to services that can connect them to available job or education opportunities through an expansion of its existing Gateway to Work initiative. 

"A decade after it launched, Indiana’s HIP program has become the national model for a state-led, consumer-driven healthcare program that meets citizens’ needs, provides choices and improves lives," Holcomb said in a news release. "This approval continues coverage for hundreds of thousands of Hoosiers and unlocks funding to expand resources to help people struggling with addiction."

The Healthy Indiana Plan was established in 2007 during Governor Mitch Daniels’ administration and was expanded in 2015 under then-Governor Mike Pence. You can learn more about HIP 2.0 by clicking here.