House passes bill making Healthy Indiana plan permanent

The Indiana House has approved a bill that would codify into law Gov. Mike Pence's statewide expansion of Medicaid under President Barack Obama's signature health care overhaul.

The measure was approved on a 61-33 vote Thursday. It now goes back to the Senate, where changes made by the House will be considered.

Indiana's expansion of Medicaid is called the Health Indiana Plan, or HIP 2.0 for short. It has extended health insurance to thousands of people who did not previously have it. A waiver granted by the federal government allows the state to charge fees to low-income people for coverage.

The plan was unveiled in 2015 as a pilot program. The bill would make HIP 2.0 permanent.