City to Sponsor Medicaid Expanded Healthy Indiana Plan (HIP) 2.0 Outreach Event

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 17, 2015

For more information, please contact:

Nancy Woolery, Health Projects Manager, City of Bloomington Community and Family Resources Department, 812.349.3851

City to Sponsor Medicaid Expanded Healthy Indiana Plan (HIP) 2.0 Outreach Event

Bloomington, Ind.- The City of Bloomington and the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA) are sponsoring an event to educate the community on the recently approved Indiana Medicaid Expansion program, the Healthy Indiana Plan (HIP) 2.0. This outreach event is scheduled for Monday March 23, 2015 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 401 N. Morton Street. The event is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.

The goal of the event is to give an overview of the Healthy Indiana Plan or HIP 2.0, who is eligible to apply, and how to utilize the program. HIP 2.0 will provide 500,000 uninsured Hoosiers with a health care plan. A representative Family and Social Services Administration will present an overview of the plan, followed by a question and answer session.

There are two distinct levels of coverage for HIP 2.0, HIP Plus and HIP Basic. Each covers medical expenses such as doctor visits, hospital care, therapies, medications, prescriptions and medical equipment. HIP Plus offers members the best value and, unlike HIP Basic, also covers vision and dental care, and even bariatric surgery. Indiana residents ages 19-64 with incomes of up to $16,297 annually for an individual, $21,967 for a couple or $33,307 for a family of four are generally eligible to participate in HIP 2.0.

Education will be provided on how to use the program once an individual or family has enrolled and have been approved. Choosing a health care provider, paying monthly premiums (if applicable), and understanding how a health insurance plan works may be difficult for individuals and families who have never had health insurance.

Other community partners and sponsors include: Cover Monroe, Aspin, Centerstone, Volunteers in Medicine, the Monroe County Health Department, and Premier Healthcare. All of these agencies will have certified Navigators on-site to answer questions and provide information and resources. Indiana Navigators are certified to assist and enroll people into government sponsored health insurance programs, such as HIP, Medicaid, and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Navigators can also help people choose a health insurance plan through the Federal Marketplace, established through the Affordable Care Act, which is the new national health insurance law.

For more information on this event, contact Nancy Woolery at 812.349.3851.

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