Governor Eric Holcomb signed Executive Orders this week that officially continues the public health emergency and provisions that address the impact of COVID-19.
Those provisions allow Indiana to be eligible to receive enhanced federal funding for Medicaid programs to help cover the increased costs of 500,000 residents who have enrolled in the programs because of the pandemic. The state would lose more than $175 million in future funding and about 250,000 Hoosiers would lose partial or full Medicaid coverage if the public health emergency ends before the federal public health emergency.
The order also allows 200,000 eligible households to receive an additional $95 per month in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program that assists more than 600,000 Hoosiers.
Additionally, State Health Commissioner Dr. Kristina Box will continue to serve as the statewide ordering physician for those who choose to be vaccinated, which offers easy access to vaccines through pharmacies, local health departments and other health facilities.
The Executive Orders are set to expire December 31, but they may be extended if deemed necessary to preserve the provisions in place.
