More than half of Indiana Medicaid enrollees miss payment required under reform plan

More than half the low-income people who qualified for Indiana’s alternative Medicaid program failed to make a monthly payment required for the top tier of service — a key feature of the program Vice President Mike Pence insisted on as a condition to expanding the health care program when he was Indiana’s governor (Source: “More than half of Indiana's alternative Medicaid recipients didn't make payment required for top service,” Indianapolis Star, May 8, 2017).

That's according to a new evaluation of the Healthy Indiana Plan, a program designed by Indiana health care consultant Seema Verma, who — as the new administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services — can now grant other states permission to impose similar monthly fees. Ohio has pursued a similar plan, also designed by Verma, for its Medicaid program.

Indiana Medicaid recipients must pay between $1 to $100 a month — depending on their income — to enroll in a higher coverage tier, which comes with dental and vision benefits. The HIP Plus level is the only program available to those above the poverty line, while those below can still qualify for the HIP Basic level.

Of the 590,315 Hoosiers determined eligible for Medicaid during the 22 months after Indiana expanded eligibility, 55 percent either never made the first payment or missed one while on the program. Nearly nine in 10 ended up in the lower-tier plan as a result, according to an evaluation done for the state and submitted to the federal government.