Gov. Mike Braun recently issued a series of executive orders aimed at reshaping Indiana’s health care landscape. From hospital transparency to expanded access to rural clinics, the measures promise significant changes for Hoosiers across the state.
The executive orders target key areas of health care, including cost reduction, accessibility and provider accountability. Braun’s administration has touted these moves as vital to addressing long-standing health disparities, particularly in rural and underserved areas. Critics, however, question whether the measures will deliver meaningful change or place additional burdens on already strained health systems. Here’s the breakdown:
Faithful Execution of Pro-Life Laws (Executive Order 25-20)
Purpose: This executive order directs the Indiana Department of Health to ensure strict compliance with Indiana’s pro-life laws, with an emphasis on reporting terminated pregnancies and enforcing regulations.
Impact on Hoosiers: This could reassure pro-life advocates about the enforcement of laws but might result in stricter regulations that could affect patients’ access to reproductive health services.
Improve Price Transparency (Executive Order 25-21)
Purpose: This order requires state agencies to implement measures to improve health care pricing transparency, making it easier for Hoosiers to compare costs. It aims to empower patients with more information, potentially lowering costs through competition.
Impact on Hoosiers: Hoosiers will have clearer information about health care costs, potentially saving money, but the complexity of health care pricing may still make it difficult for some patients to make fully informed decisions and some providers may not fully comply, undermining the effectiveness of the order.
Hospital Charity Care (Executive Order 25-22)
Purpose: This order calls for an evaluation of charity care levels in nonprofit hospitals, ensuring they provide adequate care in line with their tax-exempt status.
Impact on Hoosiers: Low-income individuals may gain more access to charity care, but opponents argue that it could lead to increased regulatory oversight and higher costs for hospitals, which might eventually affect the services available to patients.
Healthcare Affordability Measures (Executive Order 25-23)
Purpose: This order addresses health care affordability by focusing on surprise billing, pharmacy benefit managers and high drug prices. It aims to protect consumers from unexpected costs and reduce prescription prices.
Impact on Hoosiers: Consumers may face fewer surprise medical bills and lower drug prices, but opponents warn that it may be difficult to fully control drug pricing without broader federal action, and reducing pharmacy benefit managers’ influence could affect how insurance plans are structured.
Assessing Waste, Fraud and Abuse (Executive Order 25-24)
Purpose: This order mandates audits to identify waste and fraud in Medicaid and the State Employee Health Plan. It aims to reduce inefficiencies and ensure that taxpayer money is used effectively.
Impact on Hoosiers: Taxpayer funds could be used more efficiently, but some Hoosiers may experience delays in accessing care or fear their benefits might be unfairly scrutinized. The process of conducting audits can lead to overreach in identifying fraud, potentially impacting legitimate claims or services.
Health and Family Services Dashboard (Executive Order 25-25)
Purpose: This executive order directs the development of a public dashboard to streamline health care and family services data.
Impact on Hoosiers: Hoosiers will have more access to health care and family service data but concerns about privacy and the usability of the dashboard could limit its effectiveness.
Agency Data Sharing (Executive Order 25-26)
Purpose: This order encourages state agencies to share data to improve service delivery and policy outcomes.
Impact on Hoosiers: Hoosiers could benefit from improved services and coordination across state agencies, but privacy risks and data mishandling could create problems for those seeking services.
340B Program Examination (Executive Order 25-27)
Purpose: This order mandates a review of the 340B program to ensure it benefits vulnerable populations and is not exploited for profit.
Impact on Hoosiers: Vulnerable populations could see greater oversight of the program, ensuring it benefits those in need, but there could also be reduced access to discounted medications if some health care providers are cut from the program.
Split Risk Pools (Executive Order 25-28)
Purpose: This executive order allows for the creation of split risk pools, providing more tailored insurance options. The intention is to help insurers create more affordable and personalized health plans.
Impact on Hoosiers: Hoosiers may have access to more personalized and affordable insurance plans, but there is a risk that some individuals could face higher premiums or be excluded from lower-cost options due to their health status.
For a full list of Braun’s executive orders, visit in.gov/gov/newsroom/executive-orders.
This reporting is made possible by a grant from the Indianapolis African-American Quality of Life Initiative, empowering our community with essential health insights. https://iaaqli.org/
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Contact Health & Environmental Reporter Hanna Rauworth at 317-762-7854 or follow her on Instagram at @hanna.rauworth.
