Red Flags Raised on Indiana Waiver Proposal

A group of influential national organizations, including Georgetown CCF, submitted a letter today to Secretary Sebelius expressing concerns about some features of the pending Section 1115 Medicaid Demonstration request from the state of Indiana.  The letter is available here. The Section 1115 waiver request focuses on using Healthy Indiana as a vehicle for the state’s Medicaid expansion.

The letter points out that while the desire to extend coverage is laudable, some features of the waiver request are not compatible with the objectives of the Medicaid program – in particular enrollment caps and premiums for very low-income persons. Past guidance from the federal Department of Health and Human Services has suggested that the Secretary is not inclined to approve these features of Indiana’s request.

Joan Alker is the Executive Director of the Center for Children and Families and a Research Professor at the Georgetown McCourt School of Public Policy.

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