Keeping Hoosiers covered is essential for access to health care | Opinion
Beginning Jan. 1, Indiana will enter a new chapter for the Healthy Indiana Plan (HIP) as compliance determinations begin under the new work requirements for certain Hoosiers. For Indiana’s hospitals, that means doing everything we can now to help eligible Hoosiers understand the changes, maintain their coverage and stay connected to care. HIP was created with work and personal responsibility at its core, and we recognize the importance of that principle. Good health and the ability to work, learn, and contribute to our communities go hand in hand. As these requirements take effect, we want to ensure the process is clear and workable, so eligible Hoosiers can maintain their coverage. Hospitals across the state have already begun incorporating information about the new requirements into their patient navigation efforts to help them do just that. That work has real urgency. Since the beginning of 2025, 519,000 fewer Hoosiers are enrolled in Medicaid, while another 60,000 have lost Marketplace coverage because of federal changes to the premium subsidies. The state estimates another 58,000 HIP members, roughly 12% of current enrollees, could be at risk of losing coverage under the new HIP work requirements. For the patients hospitals care for every day, those
