On a national scale, Americans now have access to low-cost health care through the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. But on a state level before this plan, Indiana developed the Healthy Indiana Plan (HIP) in 2008. Just one year ago, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield supported the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the efforts of Gov. Mike Pence to bring affordable health care to more Hoosiers through HIP 2.0, which enables Hoosier adults ages 19–64 with incomes up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level to qualify for health care coverage.
According to recent data, African-Americans are utilizing HIP through Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield. Among African-Americans in Marion County, more than 41 percent are signed up for HIP (either HIP Basic or HIP Plus) through Anthem.
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield serves more than 40 percent of the HIP 2.0 population statewide and facilitated more than 75,000 total eye care and dentist visits through the first seven months of the program. Additionally, Hoosier Healthwise members who transitioned to HIP have shown a nearly 40 percent reduction in ER utilization. The health care company is not only helping to keep minorities insured, but is also helping individuals manage their health care financially.
“All HIP 2.0 plans include a Personal Wellness and Responsibility (POWER) account, which functions like a Health Savings Account (HSA) to help pay for deductible expenses,” said Kristen Metzger, president of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Indiana Medicaid. “The plans also include incentives for receiving preventive services. Anthem members in Indiana enroll into either the HIP Plus or HIP Basic option, which offer different levels of benefits and personal responsibility.”
Members and the State of Indiana jointly fund a $2,500 POWER account for HIP Plus members, which allows them to contribute based on a sliding income scale.
“One of the most important things we have learned through the HIP 2.0 program is regardless of income levels, members are paying to participate in the HIP Plus program,” mentioned Metzger. “These contributions can be as little as $1 per month, but approximately 70 percent of our members who participate in HIP pay to be in HIP Plus, and we have found that these members are engaged in their health care.”
Anthem identifies where their members live and use information like the government Free and Reduced Lunch program to target where to advertise. Additionally, they utilize community partnerships with churches and other grassroots organizations to sponsor health fairs and create and conduct health education presentations.
“Over the past year, I met numerous HIP 2.0 enrollees who are now regularly visiting a doctor, taking their medicines or even had life threatening diagnoses like cancer caught early rather than go untreated,” Pence said. “Hoosiers should be encouraged that the progress we’ve made sets our program apart from the traditional Medicaid expansion called for under Obamacare.
“As we mark the first year of HIP 2.0, our results are promising, but there is still work to do. Hoosiers may be assured that my administration will continue our efforts to increase the health and well-being of Hoosiers through personal responsibility, self-sufficiency and independence. And, we will continue to promote the Healthy Indiana Plan and increase access to high-quality coverage.”
For more information on the Healthy Indiana Plan, visit In.gov/fssa/hip.
