Healthy Indiana Plan has too little capacity

As a leader in the United Methodist faith tradition, I and our church are called to reach out to the poor and society’s marginalized. As a society, we believe we are all responsible for the under-advantaged, literally widows and orphans, and people who are disabled or do not make enough income to provide for their family’s health care.

Medicaid expansion will help all of us by providing health care to lower-income workers and the marginalized, if the General Assembly approves this legislation. I am concerned about the General Assembly’s plan to expand health care coverage through the Healthy Indiana Plan. Today, HIP meets the needs of fewer than 40,000 low-income Hoosiers while more than twice as many applicants remain waiting. I raise concern about whether HIP can be expanded to cover up to 450,000 Hoosiers who would otherwise qualify for coverage under Medicaid expansion.
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The Rev. Michael J. Coyner, bishop
Indiana Area, United Methodist Church