Medicaid, prior authorization to be major topics in 2025
Despite tightening revenue, Republican leaders quickly dismissed any notion that 2025 could be the year Indiana ends its prohibition on marijuana.
Whitney Downard, Indiana Capital Chronicle
Articles
Embattled Indiana Senate minority leader denies sexual harassment allegations
Democrat Sen. Greg Taylor directly responded to reporter questions in an impromptu availability following a leadership panel at a downtown legislative conference on Wednesday.
Going, going, gone: Package store bidding dominates alcohol permit auction
Forty-two hopefuls turned out for the Indiana Alcohol and Tobacco Commission’s auction on Tuesday, outbidding one another in an attempt to secure one of dozens of alcoholic beverage permits.
Indiana’s Medicaid expansion ‘trigger’ law could affect coverage of 754K Hoosiers
Roughly two-thirds of Indiana’s total Medicaid budget is covered by the federal government. For the 2024 fiscal year, that amount came to nearly $13.5 billion, compared to the $3.7 billion from state coffers.
Lilly Endowment CEO gets 2024 Sachem Award
Indianapolis philanthropic leader Clay Robbins is the 19th person to receive the award, meant to honor outstanding community contributions.
Gov.-elect Braun unveils streamlined cabinet plan with eight policy focuses
Braun’s new cabinet will seek to model “efficiency, accountability and communication in state government,” he said in a news release.
IU study: Indiana stands out for reliance on self-insured, high-deductible plans
Hoosiers are 20% more likely to be covered by a self-insured health plan than their peers, a type of plan that “lacks the market power to effectively negotiate prices with hospitals,” the study noted.
Democrat spending on legislative races pales in comparison to Republicans
Republicans are pouring financial resources into a handful of legislative races around the state, recognizing potentially tight margins with an aim to protect the party’s supermajority hold in the General Assembly.
Voter enthusiasm drives up wait times at early voting sites
Marion County is far from alone when it comes to long lines for early voters. Hoosiers in Hamilton and Allen counties have reported similar waits along with anecdotal reports of high turnout, specifically among young and first-time voters.
State elections chief pushes back against criticism over voter roll citizenship review
Secretary of State Diego Morales said a decision to review the citizenship status of more than 585,000 registered voters was meant to foster trust in the election process.
League of Women Voters files ethics complaint against Indiana secretary of state
The two-page complaint, shared with the Indiana Capital Chronicle, points to several communications distributed by the office, saying that Secretary of State Diego Morales’ name is printed larger than the name of the office.
Indiana Office of Technology to offer free website hosting for local governments
For the last four years, the office has supported website hosting for a “low cost,” but announced it would be eliminating the attached price tag this week.
Wage garnishments and traffic violations—what impact do candidate legal woes have on voters?
With just two weeks to go until the Nov. 5 election, candidates to succeed Gov. Eric Holcomb are getting hit with more negative political advertising. It’s a strategy that can work, experts say. Otherwise, campaigns wouldn’t do it.
Indiana officials ask federal government to verify citizenship of 585K registered voters
Indiana has 4,836,973 residents registered to vote, so the letter invites scrutiny of about 12% on the rolls.
Indiana Chief Justice Rush says state must improve in regard to mental health
Indiana Supreme Court Chief Justice Loretta Rush said Indiana’s judges have made progress but still have work to do when it comes to handling mental health crises and drug addiction.
Indiana joins multistate lawsuit seeking to halt federal nursing home staffing rule
A lawsuit filed Tuesday by 20 states challenging a federal rule mandating higher staffing levels in nursing homes alleges that facilities will be forced to close.
Candidates spar in first general election gubernatorial debate
Topics at Wednesday debate between Se. Mike Braun and Jennifer McCormick included a recently manipulated advertisement from the Braun campaign and the Republican nominee for lieutenant governor saying the other side invoked a “Jezebel spirit.”
State’s Behavioral Health Commission wraps up two-year study with $50M request
Much of the additional funding would be earmarked for Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics to provide treatment at the local level and work with teams responding to active 988 calls.
Braun hits McCormick with negative, digitally altered ad in governor’s race
The original version of the ad circulated to television stations “mistakenly” omitted a required disclaimer that labeled the advertisement as altered, according to Sen. Mike Braun’s campaign.
State agencies launch effort to support children with high acuity needs
The Family and Social Services Administration will be one of the four state agencies participating alongside the governor’s office in the Children with High Acuity Needs Project.