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State Health Insurance Plans in Indiana

With the passage of the 2010 health reform bill and the availability of multiple public assistance programs, Indiana residents have a growing number of options for getting health insurance. In addition to private health insurance purchased individually or through an employer, residents can qualify for state health insurance based on financial or medical need.

  1. Hoosier's Care

    • Indiana offers the Medicaid program to its residents; it is a state and federally funded health program that pays benefits for covered services provided by participating doctors, hospitals and other healthcare providers. Though the federal government oversees the program, Indiana regulates its own enrollment and eligibility guidelines. To quality for Medicaid, or Hoosier's Care, you must be a legal resident of Indiana determined medically or financially needy by the state. Medically needy individuals may be pregnant, disabled or suffering from an ongoing medical condition such as cancer or tuberculosis. The state accepts financially needy families and individuals into the program based on household size, income and resources.

    CHIP

    • Children in families that make too much to qualify for Medicaid but have incomes below 250 percent of the federal poverty level may qualify for Indiana's Children's Health Insurance Program, or CHIP. Unlike the state's Medicaid program, CHIP enrollment eligibility depends solely on household income. According to IN.gov, the implementation of CHIP has insured an additional 55,000 children since 2002 that would have otherwise been uninsured. CHIP provides comprehensive health benefits to children that include dental and vision benefits at free or reduced costs to parents.

    State PCIP

    • Indiana residents living with pre-existing conditions do not have to look for assistance through the federal pre-existing condition pool, or PCIP. Instead, Indiana offers a state-organized PCIP for individuals who cannot find health coverage elsewhere. The PCIP works with private insurers to provide affordable premiums that do not discriminate based on history of health. There are no waiting periods before coverage begins, and enrollees can choose between three health insurance plans, including a health savings account-qualifying insurance plan with premiums as low as $174 per month.

    Future Options

    • The Affordable Care Act of 2010 includes laws that require each U.S. state to establish a health insurance exchange by January 2014. Indiana began organizing its exchange in January 2011, at which time Governor Mitch Daniels stated that an estimated 1.4 million Indiana residents are expected to begin using the exchange when it becomes available. Insurance provided through the exchange will not have any lifetime or annual limits and will not discriminate against pre-existing conditions. Once the government exchange becomes available, the Indiana PCIP will cease to offer insurance.

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