03/03/14 Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center (SJRMC) joins Indiana Hospital Association in support of expanding healthcare coverage for all Indiana families.
Indiana Hospital Association has announced the launch of Expand Indiana, a statewide campaign to help citizens, legislators and business leaders understand the importance of expanding healthcare coverage in Indiana.
Following the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), a 2012 U.S. Supreme Court decision allowed individual states the option to decline expanding Medicaid eligibility, without penalty, to adults with incomes up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level. The Indiana General Assembly chose not to expand Medicaid, which caused 300,000 Hoosiers to fall into an insurance coverage gap — they make too much money to qualify for existing healthcare programs and not enough for ACA tax credits and subsidies through the Health Insurance Marketplace.
“These are hard-working people who have no option for coverage under the current system,” said Al Gutierrez, SJRMC President and CEO. “We believe that all families, regardless of their economic position, deserve access to coverage. Expanding coverage will have a positive economic impact on the entire state, ensuring financial stability in the years to come.”
Indiana Governor Mike Pence has been authorized by the General Assembly to negotiate with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the Medicare and Medicaid programs, about health coverage expansion. Currently, Governor Pence and U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius are in discussions regarding expanding the Healthy Indiana Plan as an alternative to Medicaid expansion.
Expand Indiana will focus on coverage expansion during the 2014 legislative session and the possible substitution of the Healthy Indiana Plan as an alternative to Medicaid. To learn more, visit ExpandINCoverage.org.
