Healthy Indiana extends insurance through April

For more than 10,000 members of the Healthy Indiana Plan insurance program, benefits will be extended through the end of April 2014.

Current HIP members 100 to 200 percent above the federal poverty level have been granted this extension in order to smooth the transition to coverage under the Affordable Care Act, due to the “federal marketplace’s well-documented technical issues,” said FSSA spokesperson Jim Gavin in a press release.

“We have a responsibility to assist Healthy Indiana Plan enrollees during this transition period,” said Debra Minott, Indiana Family and Social Services Administration Secretary, in the release. “The fact of the matter is the health plans HIP members were told would be available starting in October have proven difficult to access due to the federal marketplace’s well-documented technical issues. This extension provides additional time for these Hoosiers to remain on their HIP plans while they complete their enrollment and gain coverage through the marketplace.”

According to a press release, Gov. Mike Pence, administration officials and the
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services officials agreed HIP should focus solely on individuals below the poverty line who are not qualified to receive premium tax credits under the Affordable Care Act. As a result, about 20,000 more low-income Hoosiers will receive health coverage in 2014 because they are below the poverty line, according to the press release.

Extending these benefits could cost the state up to $11 million, money which will be taken from the HIP trust fund.

The federal marketplace will require individuals to complete an application and payment before the end of April and annual deductibles that will begin in
January.

“They can stay on the plan for as long as April 30 now, but we would still encourage them to take action sooner than later,” Gavin said. “It is going to take people a while to obtain coverage through the federal exchange, and we don’t want them to wait until the last minute.”

Gavin said mid-February is the latest people should register to get federal coverage.

“We still urge these Hoosiers to take action now to enroll in a health plan that will cover them in 2014,” Minott said in the press release. “It will help Hoosiers in the long run if they begin paying on their annual marketplace plan deductibles sooner rather than later.”