NEWS & VIEWS

January 30, 2025

Federal Updates

Federal Funds Frozen and Thawed

The Trump Administration sent notice on Monday through the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) that there would be a "temporary pause" on disbursement of federal grants, loans and financial assistance programs. Organizations across the nation were left wondering if their funds were impacted. By Tuesday evening, a judge had blocked the order. On Wednesday, the Administration rescinded the freeze through another memo from OMB.

HHS Secretary Confirmation Hearing

Robert F Kennedy Jr., who has been appointed to lead the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), answered questions before the Senate Finance Committee this week as his confirmation proceedings began.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is a federal agency within HHS.

State Updates

Legislation in the General Assembly

SB 409, a bill to ensure parents have time away from work to attend their child's school case conference meetings, passed out of committee this week. CKF-IN supported the bill and appreciate all those who submitted and gave testimony.

Two bills related to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies have passed out of committee and are before the full Senate. SB 235 and SB 289 speak to eliminating DEI and/or prevent certain entities from requiring DEI initiatives.

Medicaid cost containment and fraud prevention (SB 2): To address the unsustainable growth of Indiana’s Medicaid program, Senate Republicans propose implementing better controls on Medicaid eligibility and reforming the Healthy Indiana Plan to encourage personal responsibility. These reforms aim to ensure that Indiana can continue to provide coverage for the Hoosiers who need it most.  

Health care cost reduction (SB 3): This initiative seeks to require health plan intermediaries to act in the best financial interest of their clients, the employers who sponsor health insurance for Hoosier workers. The objective is to ensure that employers can trust that the intermediaries they work with are prioritizing their financial interests, thereby lowering health care costs.  

Call for Sponsors is Open!

Sponsorship levels and associated benefits can be found in the Sponsorship Prospectus below.

Submission deadline is April 1, 2025.

Call for Exhibitors is Open!

Conference attendance is expected to be over 600 professionals including but not limited to: educators and school administrators, nurses and other healthcare professionals, social workers, outreach and enrollment specialists, managed care professionals, child health advocates, early childhood professionals, and government program partners. The information and resources that exhibitors provide are an integral part of the overall success of the conference.

Reserve your booth now - space is limited!

Marketplace Open Enrollment

2025 Marketplace open enrollment ended on January 15^th. A record 24.2 million people selected plans with 3.9 million new enrollees. In Indiana, 359,240 Hoosiers selected plans.

HHS

Ever wonder what the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) does besides overseeing the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)? A recent blog from KFF explains HHS’s impact on the healthcare system and its role in public health, safety and well-being. 

SNAP

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities created fact sheets for each state about the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and its impact.

In Indiana:

• 69% of SNAP participants are in families with children
• 2.2% of Indiana households are food insecure.
• 73% of eligible individuals participated in SNAP in Indiana in pre-pandemic 2020
• SNAP lifted 104,000 Hoosiers above the poverty line per year between 2015 – 2019
• $1 of SNAP benefits generates $1.50 in economic activity.

Updated FPL Guidelines

Federal Poverty Level (FPL) guidelines are revised annually in January; however, the Indiana Family & Social Services Administration (FSSA) typically does not adopt and apply these updated guidelines until March of each year.

Families As Partners: Transforming Child

Health Care Together

By effectively partnering with families, health care providers and policymakers can drive health care transformation, fostering more family-centered, holistic, and equitable care across the lifespan.

This blog post shares insights on effective partnerships from a family engagement advisor on CHCS’ Accelerating Child Health Transformation initiative, made possible by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which fosters strategies to transform child health care, including developing partnerships between patients, families, and providers.

Know Your Rights

The National Immigration Center offers an updated Know Your Rights: What to Do if You are Questioned, Arrested or Detained by Immigration and Other Law Enforcement. This ten page document is in a question and answer format and is available for download in seven languages.

Community Member Engagement Resource Center

This resource center offers practical guidance to help Medicaid stakeholders engage community members in policy and program design development. It features best practices as well as examples of successful community engagement strategies. 

Youth Tobacco Use Resources for Schools

The Indiana Department of Health, Tobacco Prevention and Cessation services created a one-page document highlighting youth tobacco use resources for schools, including the Vape Free Indiana website, Vape Free Schools Toolkit, Live Vape Free, and Quit Now Indiana. 

KIDS COUNT Data Book

The 2025 State of the Child KIDS COUNT Data Book will be released soon. Join the Indiana Youth Institute for an in-depth look at the latest insights into child well-being in Indiana.

This webinar is on February 19 at 12:00 pm (noon) ET.

2025 State of Tobacco Control Report

A new report from the American Lung Association urges Indiana lawmakers to focus on increasing the tax on all tobacco products to reduce the overwhelming human and financial burden of tobacco use. The 2025 “State of Tobacco Control” report evaluates state and federal policies on actions taken to eliminate tobacco use and recommends proven-effective tobacco control laws and policies to prevent nicotine dependence and protect kids.

In the 2025 report, Indiana received the following grades:

1. Funding for State Tobacco Prevention Programs – Grade F
2. Strength of Smokefree Workplace Laws – Grade C
3. Level of State Tobacco Taxes – Grade F
4. Coverage and Access to Services to Quit Tobacco – Grade C
5. Ending the Sale of All Flavored Tobacco Products – Grade F

Substance Use Prevalence Among Indiana Youth 

Substance use among Indiana youth remains a critical issue with potentially severe consequences. Early use of alcohol and tobacco increases the risk of substance use disorders and negative outcomes like academic challenges, health issues, and legal troubles. However, new data from the Indiana Youth Survey, reveals promising trends: youth substance use is at a 30-year low, with cigarette, alcohol, and marijuana usage rates the lowest since tracking began.

Despite this progress, according to Prevention Insights, alcohol remains the most commonly used substance among Indiana students. According to Prevention Insights & Indiana Youth Survey, in 2022, while students believed 26.5% of their peers used cigarettes and 37.1% consumed alcohol in the past 30 days, the actual reported rates were just 1.9% and 10.9%, respectively.

The full data brief provides valuable insights and prevention tools for youth-serving organizations to implement effective strategies in their communities.

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