Indiana’s uninsured rate hit a historic low of 14.8 percent in 2015 — a decrease of more than 3 percent from 2014 — according to newly released survey data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The lowered rate is largely due to Medicaid expansion and the federal insurance exchange under the Affordable Care Act.
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In January 2015, the state expanded its Medicaid program through the Healthy Indiana Plan 2.0. As of April 2015, more than 387,424 people have enrolled in HIP 2.0, with more than 287,000 new enrollees. At the county level, Lake County has 35,182 people enrolled in HIP 2.0, while Porter County enrollment is 7,727.
Indiana’s uninsured rate excludes children under the age of 18 and adults over the age of 65, but if you include them, the uninsured rate drops even further to 10.2 percent, officials said.
In Indiana, 66.5 percent of residents have private plan coverage, while 32.8 percent are on public plans like HIP, Medicare and the Children’s Health Insurance Program.
HealthLinc CEO Beth Wrobel said the numbers are reflected on what she’s seen locally over the past few years.
“When I started here about 13 or 14 years ago, about 80 percent of our patients were uninsured,” Wrobel said. “As of April, that number has dropped to 16 percent. Between the marketplace and HIP 2.0, it’s made all of the difference in the world.”
Wrobel said navigators at HealthLinc and many hospitals and community health centers have been aggressive about trying to get patients on insurance whenever possible.
“There are always those things that a patient has to have which we can’t pay for and they can’t, either,” Wrobel said. “By getting on insurance, we can help make them better, and also we see better psychological wellness because they don’t run around worrying about not having insurance.
“With regular health care, they’re better able to get job, and have better attendance at their employer. So you’re starting to see that turnaround.”
Wrobel said some pockets of uninsured individuals may still exist, particularly among men and “young invincibles,” but potential tax penalties may encourage them to buy a policy.
Joe Moser, Indiana’s Medicaid director, said the state has made significant strides in eliminating uninsured residents, but there are still underserved areas — illustrated in demographics and geographic areas — that advertising and outreach are still working to get enrolled.
When HIP 2.0 kicked off, the state knew that it needed more doctors to serve HIP 2.0 enrollees. Moser said more than 5,300 new health care providers serve those in the program. The state worked to increase the Medicaid reimbursement rate by 25 percent, putting it on par with Medicare rates.
“We believe this has led to better access for all of our members,” Moser said.
Wellness and preventative checkups are hallmarks of both the Affordable Care Act and HIP 2.0., Wrobel said
“Once they’re covered, pap smears, mammograms, colonoscopies — all of these services are covered for free,” Wrobel said. “These are many things that happen, if we catch them early, might not be so severe.”