INDIANAPOLIS – The number of Hoosiers without health insurance decreased between 2021 and 2022, falling 0.6% to 7% uninsured, according to a release from the United States Census Bureau.
The report credits increased insurance coverage in Indiana to an enrollment uptick in public health insurance options, such as Medicaid, rather than any significant change in private insurance plans. Six other states fell into the same category, including Alabama, California, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan and Oklahoma.
Three other states — Missouri, New York, and Virginia — saw decreases in private coverage, but overall coverage increased due to public enrollment growth, accounting for the 10 states where the uninsured rate dropped due to programs like Medicaid.
However, the uptick in coverage could be temporary.
The number of Hoosiers enrolled in Medicaid grew under COVID-19 policies meant to mitigate the pandemic’s tumultuous economic impact, as millions lost their jobs and private insurance coverage.
The federal government increased its portion of Medicaid spending to incentivize states not to drop anyone’s coverage during the Public Health Emergency, which ended earlier this year.
Medicaid enrollment grew from 1.4 million prior to the pandemic in 2020 to a high of 2.2 million in April 2023, per Indiana’s Family and Social Services Administration, which oversees the program.
In a multi-month “unwinding” process, more than 208,000 Hoosiers have lost their coverage since FSSA started reviewing Medicaid rolls in April. Another 363,000 retained their coverage, according to a Medicaid Tracker from the nonprofit health policy organization KFF.
The findings from the Census Bureau cover 2022’s enrollment, meaning that healthcare coverage could fall in next year’s report.
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