State Puts Brakes on HIP Enrollment

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The Indiana Family and Social Services Administration has announced it has reached enrollment capacity for the Healthy Indiana Plan. The state says the federal government has cleared it to cut off enrollment since necessary funding would exceed revenue from the state's tobacco tax. July 24, 2014

News Release

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – As of today, the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has authorized the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA) to stop enrollment into the existing Healthy Indiana Plan (HIP). Enrollment in the current Healthy Indiana Plan has reached the point where funding from Indiana's tobacco tax cannot support additional enrollees.

In approving the Healthy Indiana Plan waiver renewal last year, CMS agreed to allow Indiana to adjust eligibility during the year if needed to ensure enrollment would not exceed available revenue. Should enrollment drop significantly from current numbers, it is possible that FSSA would begin to accept applications again in 2014. If this occurs, information on applying would appear on FSSA's Healthy Indiana Plan website, www.HIP.IN.gov.

Meanwhile, the Pence administration continues to work closely with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on its proposal to expand the successful program to hundreds of thousands of uninsured Hoosiers starting in 2015. A formal waiver application outlining the proposal, known as “HIP 2.0,” was submitted July 3, and discussions have continued since.

“We remain hopeful for a timely response so that more low-income, uninsured Hoosiers will have the option of participating in the Healthy Indiana Plan,” said Joe Moser, Indiana Medicaid Director. “Unlike our current program, which has reached its peak capacity, HIP 2.0 would not be solely limited by the revenue from Indiana's tobacco tax.”

The State will continue to process applications that have been received to date for enrollment into the current HIP program.

Information about the Pence administration’s HIP 2.0 proposal to expand the Healthy Indiana Plan can be found here: http://www.in.gov/fssa/hip/2442.htm

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