Members, advocates rally at Statehouse, call on lawmakers to kill proposed changes to Medicaid

Advocates and Medicaid members said proposed changes to Medicaid could lead to bigger issues for Hoosiers and the state. Demonstrators called on lawmakers and the governor to protect Medicaid from changes being made at the state and federal level.

Nancy Garner is one of the Medicaid members who gathered at the Statehouse to talk to lawmakers about Senate Bill 2. She also helped deliver hundreds of stories to Gov. Mike Braun to explain how important Medicaid is in the lives of everyday Hoosiers.

Garner said as the costs of other necessities like housing rise, Medicaid is a vital resource for people to live a healthy life.

“If one has to decide on care or a safe place to live, they would most likely go without health care, which in turn lessen their years to live or cause death,” Garner said.

Garner said changes proposed at the state level — such as quarterly eligibility checks and work reporting requirements — would just make Medicaid harder to navigate.

“We need to keep Medicaid systems simple and navigable for those that then allow recipients to stay in compliance with Medicaid and Medicaid renewals,” Garner said.

Medicaid experts and advocates said SB 2 would lead to fewer people covered and increase costs to the state.

Dr. Alison Case is a medical provider at a federally qualified health center that mainly serves patients in the Medicaid program. She was among the advocates gathered at the Statehouse.

Case said the current Medicaid proposals in the legislature will result in sicker patients and less funding for clinics that provide vital services.

“There’s a human cost to what they’re doing here, and it’s not saving the state any money,” Case said.

Case said her patients already have enough to balance between their jobs and families. She said the additional burden of the policies in SB 2 would add even more for them to maintain.

“Many of my patients who are on Medicaid, most of them are working and having access to their medications, having access to their specialists — those are the things that keep them healthy enough to actually continue to work,” Case said.

Advocates have concerns about people falling through the cracks due to administrative issues. Case said even when people meet the requirements, they could still lose their coverage — which she said could mean losing access to medication or doctors.

“For instance, when my people who are on insulin for their diabetes, when they lose their insulin, they’re so sick that they can’t physically go to work,” Case said. “They end up in the hospital, and if they miss enough days at their job, they may lose their employment.”

READ MORE: Experts, advocates challenge misinformation from lawmakers on Medicaid, HIP overhaul bill

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Advocates also want state lawmakers and the governor to advocate for protecting Medicaid at the federal level, where lawmakers have been discussing funding cuts for the Medicaid expansion program. federal lawmakers have also discussed allowing states to mandate work reporting requirements, which have federal court rulings against them based on the current Medicaid statute.

Medicaid expansion programs, like the Healthy Indiana Plan, are 90 percent federally funded. However, some federal lawmakers have shown interest in adjusting that match rate.

This could put more pressure on states to make up the difference — or in some states, it could result in an automatic unwinding of their expansion programs. It’s what’s known as a “trigger law.” Currently, Indiana has a trigger law, but SB 2 would give the state the ability to decide if it wants to unwind the program in the event that the federal government changes the match.

Medicaid members and advocates said they plan on talking with federal lawmakers in the near future to address their concerns about Medicaid funding and policy changes.

Abigail is our health reporter. Contact them at [email protected].