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Analysts clash over implications of Medicaid advertising ban

Last Updated 3 weeks by Amnon J. Jobi | Amnon Front Page

Analysts break down Medicaid advertising order

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Two members of Indiana’s best political team on Friday said Gov. Mike Braun’s Medicaid advertising ban is part of a broader strategy for the program, though they disagreed on what it means.

Shortly after Braun took office, the Family and Social Services Administration directed Medicaid service providers to immediately cease all advertising on radio and television. Speaking to the House Public Health Committee on Wednesday, Mitch Roob, the new director of the FSSA, said the Braun administration might lift the ban if officials believe the program is again solvent.

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“It makes little sense to spend additional tax dollars recruiting individuals to join the Medicaid program that we are already struggling to fund and is precluded from using tools to incentivize work and personal responsibility,” Roob said.

Republican strategist Mario Massillamany said he doesn’t consider Braun’s order an effort to deprive people of vital information about Medicaid. He said Braun is focusing on ensuring Medicaid is reserved for those who truly need it and that it works well for them.

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“Under the four years of Joe Biden, he was trying to push people onto Medicaid as much as possible,” Massillamany said. “So, there’s a lot of people, I believe, that are using Medicaid as a method of health insurance that truly don’t need it or are qualified for it.”

Democratic strategist Lara Beck said the order is clearly meant to deter people from signing up for the program. She said many of Medicaid’s problems ultimately come down to people not getting paid enough in their jobs.

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“When you stop communicating with people to tell them about a public service that is available to the public, particularly those people who need it the most, that means you don’t want them to sign up for it,” Beck said. “So, it’s really disingenuous to go on and on about how it’s a broken program.”

All INdiana Politics airs at 9:30 a.m. Sunday on WISH-TV.