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Medical copays reduce health care access in MS prisons; Israel planted explosives in pagers sold to Hezbollah according to official sources; Serving looks with books: Libraries fight 'fast fashion' by lending clothes; Menhaden decline threatens Virginia's ecosystem, fisheries.

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JD Vance calls for toning down political rhetoric, while calls for his resignation grow because of his own comments. The Secret Service again faces intense criticism, and a right to IVF is again voted down in the US Senate.

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A USDA report shows a widening gap in rural versus urban health, a North Carolina county remains divided over a LGBTQ library display, and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz' policies are spotlighted after his elevation to the Democratic presidential ticket.

Indiana Flips the Switch on Medicaid Expansion

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Wednesday, January 28, 2015   

INDIANAPOLIS - Within days, hundreds of thousands of people could be covered by Indiana's newly expanded Medicaid program.

Immediately after Gov. Mike Pence announced federal approval of the expansion through the Healthy Indiana Plan on Tuesday, the Family and Social Service Administration began taking applications

Doug Leonard, president of the Indiana Hospital Association, said it will help those who in the past may have avoided treatment because they didn't have access to health insurance.

"If a person with a chronic condition like diabetes or something puts it off," he said, "then they could come in and have devastating complications that would not possibly have occurred if they had been able to get their care and their medicine, and etc., in a timely manner."

The plan, also known as HIP 2.0, offers different levels of service, and participants must contribute to a Health Savings Account or risk losing coverage. Coverage begins Sunday, and an estimated 350,000 Indiana residents are eligible.

Indiana becomes the 28th state to accept federal dollars under the Affordable Care Act for Medicaid expansion. Leonard said he believes it's the right choice fiscally, and the right choice for patients.

"I would argue that it's the right moral thing to do, that helps them clinically, protects their dignity," he said. "It does many, many things for them that are sort of a higher level than just the details of the plan."

With the approval, Indiana now will reform its traditional Medicaid program by increasing reimbursement for health-care providers. The state negotiated the rate increase as part of its agreement with the Indiana Hospitals Association, which will help fund the Healthy Indiana Plan. State cigarette taxes will fund a share of Indiana's future expenses.

Information is available at HIP.IN.gov or by calling 877-GET-HIP-9.


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