FSSA has announced the approval of the long-anticipated HIP Workforce Bridge. The program will let HIP participants use up $1,000 from their POWER accounts to help transition to commercial health coverage when they become ineligible for HIP due to increased income.
The Indiana Family and Social Services Administration today announced it has received approval from the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, or CMS, for its HIP Workforce Bridge program – establishing a new, unique transitional phase for Healthy Indiana Plan members as they return to the workforce and to employer insurance or other health coverage. The program was designed and proposed by FSSA in 2019 after direction from Governor Eric J. Holcomb to support his Next Level agenda and find a way to help Hoosiers maintain coverage and avoid potential negative consequences from advancing in the workforce.
HIP Workforce Bridge will allow outgoing HIP participants to continue to use up to $1,000 from their POWER accounts for up to 12 months to pay premiums, deductibles, copayments and coinsurance during their transition to commercial coverage. This assistance will be offered to individuals as soon as they become ineligible for HIP due to earning higher incomes. Indiana becomes the first state to establish such an approach to eliminating the coverage “cliff effect” that occurs as income increases.
Due to the public health emergency, FSSA is not currently disenrolling members of any health coverage program, but with CMS’s approval, HIP Workforce Bridge will be in place to support members immediately once the governor’s executive order expires.
“Now more than ever, it is critical that we provide stability and peace of mind for Hoosiers, especially when it comes to matters of their health,” said Jennifer Sullivan, M.D., M.P.H., secretary of the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration. “We anticipate that more Hoosiers may need HIP health coverage during the emergency and we want to make sure that everyone can safely transition as they are able. This is one of our first efforts to mitigate the eligibility cliff effect in Indiana, which is a priority across all of our programs now more than ever.”
HIP members facing disenrollment due to an increase in income will be notified of their option to participate in the HIP Workforce Bridge program.
More information at: bit.ly/2XsVnU4