Shackleford amendments to priority Senate bill defeated

Yesterday, Feb. 19, the Indiana House of Representatives rejected two amendments authored by State Rep. Robin Shackleford (D-Indianapolis) to Senate Bill 1.

Amendment 17 centered on the Healthy Indiana Plan (HIP). In its current form, SB 1 requires applicants to provide proof that they’ve worked or volunteered for 80 hours a month for at least three months before becoming HIP-eligible. Shackleford’s amendment would’ve lowered that requirement to one month.

"Health care is critical to staying in the workforce," Shackleford said. "We're putting the cart before the horse by assuming that Hoosiers are well enough to work for three months prior to being eligible for HIP. The bill adds more barriers and paperwork at a time when Hoosiers are already struggling to stay insured, and my amendment would have eased this burden and decreased the state's administrative workload in the process. I'm thankful for the bipartisan support this amendment received and am disappointed that we couldn't get it across the finish line."

Amendment 3 was offered in response to the extremely loose federal definition of medical frailty. The amendment would have clarified Indiana's definition of “medically frail” to include individuals with cancer.

Shackleford released the following statement on the amendment’s defeat:

“The federal government and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services are providing little to no specific guidance on how to define Medicaid medical frailty, giving states authority to put their own definitions in place. My amendment was an attempt at doing just that, and ensuring Hoosiers suffering from cancer are seen as individuals with complex health needs requiring extra support. The sad truth is that many Hoosiers need health coverage for cancer – we have one of the highest cancer rates in the country. This amendment should have been an easy yes to make sure that Hoosiers battling cancer don't get left behind."