With ACA footing entire bill for HIP, does Mike Pence still support its repeal?
INDIANAPOLIS – The Pence Administration was “willing to sell a bridge” and said it was an “unlikely scenario” that the federal government would end programs like the Healthy Indiana Plan 2.0 with the repeal of the Affordable Care Act. But as it turns out, the U.S. Senate today could do just that by voting to repeal parts of the ACA, including state Medicaid Expansion programs.
“Either Mike Pence’s top spokesperson was being intellectually dishonest with the media or he simply doesn’t understand the policy of the Affordable Care Act and how it fully pays for HIP 2.0 and the healthcare of over 550,000 Hoosiers. But what we do know is Mike Pence built his career on his ideological opposition to the ACA. Mike Pence still calls for its full repeal, and he won’t be honest by admitting that this repeal will cut the health care for Hoosiers who rely on this coverage,” said Drew Anderson, communications director for the Indiana Democratic Party. “Enough is enough, Mike Pence. Put your ideology aside, and protect the health and well-being of Hoosiers. Period.”
Mike Pence has time and again been intellectually dishonest with Hoosiers about the law and how it benefits Indiana. The Healthy Indiana Plan 2.0 (HIP) receives 100% of its funding from the ACA – a plan with more than 300,000 Hoosiers enrolled. More than 177,000 Hoosiers have signed up with the ACA’s subsidies exchange program. And even the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) is paid for by the ACA, giving health coverage to over 73,000 Hoosier children.
So the question remains – when will Governor Pence embrace the Affordable Care Act? With over 550,000 Hoosiers now receiving affordable and quality health care under the ACA, when will Mike Pence put his ideology aside and do the right thing for the health and well-being of the State of Indiana? If his term in office thus far has taught Hoosiers anything, it’s that Mike Pence would rather curry favor from national special interests than improve the lives of the people of Indiana.
###
