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Indiana's Need for a Health Strategy

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Indiana's Need for a Health Strategy V19, N14 Thursday, Nov. 21, 2013 Indiana’s need for a health strategy State’s worsening health metrics, Obamacare uncertainty create need for a comprehensive approach By BRIAN A. HOWEY INDIANAPOLIS – When it comes to the relative health and well-being of the 6.5 million Hoosiers – col- lectively rated as the 41st most healthy population in the U.S. and down from 37th a few years before – there is a surplus of empathy. Gov. Mike Pence explained to Howey Politics In- diana earlier this month, “The issue of infant mor- tality, the issue of child- hood poverty in Indiana, are two that weigh heavy on my heart. We’re going to continue to assemble the information and iden- tify” solutions. There is the poli- cy debris field we know as the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, that has muddled and obfuscated a clear path forward. On Monday, House Speaker Brian Bosma observed, “Rarely can you use ‘fi- asco’ or ‘debacle’ with respect to government action. You might disagree with it, but the ACA is now a fiasco and a Continued on page 3 Change of the (Tweet) guard By BRIAN A. HOWEY INDIANAPOLIS – As Mary Beth Schneider stood with her lovely family before the Indiana Senate on Tues- day, Senate President David Long commented on the vast “His legacy is the thousands of changes coming to the news media. “Some not for the better,” Long missiles and bombs and subma- would note as Schneider’s chin was rines and warheads that no longer lowered toward her chest, her thumbs rapidly sending out her latest Tweet. threaten us because of his extraor- There is a change of the media guard under way once more, as the dinary work.” IndyStar’s Schneider and WRTV’s - President Obama, in bestowing Norm Cox have retired, the Evans- ville Courier & Press’s Eric Bradner Medal of Freedom on Sen. Lugar HOWEY Politics Indiana Page 2 Weekly Briefing on Indiana Politics Thursday, Nov. 21, 2013 migrated to Politico, and there is an bombing out of college). erosion of news bureaus and engaged It was a young Eric Bradner punditry. who convinced me, a craggy but Many of these changes were benign writer who began covering the wrought by the news media itself, Indiana General Assembly in 1985, is a non-partisan newsletter which gave away its product on that I had to join the Twitter universe. based in Indianapolis and the Internet a generation ago, and I did, and now have 1,994 watched Monster.com erode its job “followers” (ironically, Howey Politics Nashville, Ind. It was founded listings and CraigsList severely dent began publishing in 1994), but I raised in 1994 in Fort Wayne. the classifieds. It has resulted in the a question then that I still do today: It is published by paring back of newsroom staffing, un- How do you make money Tweeting? WWWHowey Media, LLC paid furloughs and layoffs. Morale in In Schneider’s case, her 405 Massachusetts Ave., many newsrooms is quite low. Report- prolific tweeting, with other reporters ers are not happy campers. doing the same, actually saved me the Suite 300 In the past year, newspaper need to be at some events. I could ag- Indianapolis, IN 46204 paywalls have gone up, but unofficial reports Brian A. Howey, Publisher from the IndyStar puts Mark Schoeff Jr., Washington its paid web scription in the 25,000 range, Jack E. Howey, Editor which is really a paltry Mary Lou Howey, Editor sum given the 1.4 Maureen Hayden, Statehouse million people resid- Matthew Butler, Daily Wire ing in and around the doughnut counties. The toothpaste is go- Subscriptions ing back into the tube $599 annually fitfully. Ray Volpe, Account Manager Schneider ' 317.602.3620 had been with the Star since the early 1990s, earning her gregate the 140 character scraps and email: [email protected] the stature that came with long-time post a news story an hour before the lengendary reporters in the past – Ed actual reporters did. Contact HPI Ziegner, Gordon Englehart, Hortense The tweeters end up with a www.howeypolitics.com Myers – who knew where the bodies robust following, but these folks don’t were buried. help pay the bills. Kip Tew told me that [email protected] With staffs cut to the bone, Twitter is the latest media bomb, the 'Howey’s Cabin: 812.988.6520 newspaper reporters are now charged short, choppy link to news stories via 'Howey’s cell: 317.506.0883 with shooting and posting video while a portal that often allows you to dodge 'Washington: 202.256.5822 TV reporters post website copy and a paywall. The irony is that Tweeting write columns. The news photogra- reporters were, in a way, undermining 'Business Office:317.602.3620 pher is an endangered species. their company’s own ability to make a But the most fascinating profit. © 2013, Howey Politics Indiana. aspect of this is Twitter. During the I settled into a Twitter routine. All rights reserved. Photocopy- disastrous Dennis Ryerson era of the I scope out the scene several times a ing, Internet forwarding, fax- IndyStar, reporters were ordered to day. I promote HPI content, and like ing or reproducing in any form, tweet and Schneider did so prolifically. to make the occasional wisecrack. During the Senate ceremony honoring The night Green Bay QB Aaron Rodg- whole or part, is a violation of her journalistic contributions, some- ers was injured against the Bears, I federal law without permission one observed she had made 3,000 took great delight in tweeting: “Vince from the publisher. v Tweets in one month (which still pales Young: I will Tweet for cheese.” I was compared to my younger son who devastated when Sports Illustrated’s lodged 5,000 texts in one month while Peter King didn’t include that gem in HOWEY Politics Indiana Page 3 Weekly Briefing on Indiana Politics Thursday, Nov. 21, 2013 the following Monday Morning Quarterback. as “long form” and no longer cool. So many reporters tweet, instead of inves- The corresponding argument is that when society com- tigate. They make a crack, instead of analyze. The $10 municates in 140 character snippets and not much more, billion Medicaid drama is obscured by the DOE/CECI pissing then we’re all in trouble. That’s the opening for a scandal. match. Some have equated the journalism you read here v we all have an alternative plan, I think you could have Health strategy, from page 1 something there.” The political reality is that the Indiana Republican debacle.” Party, dubbed the “Party of Purpose” that feeds on “Hoosier Forty-eight hours later, Indiana Insurance Commis- Common Sense,” controls virtually all the policy levers in sioner Stephen W. Robertson announced that Indiana could this state with Pence at the helm of the executive branch, not comply with President Obama’s request from the prior super majorities in both the House and Senate, with House week to reinstate cancelled insurance policies that exposed his oft-made promise, “If you like your health plan, you can keep your health plan.” Robertson explained on Wednesday, “President Obama has asked that Indiana compel insurance companies who choose to do business in our state to reinstate carefully phased-out policies at a moment’s notice. Such action would seriously destabilize Indiana’s insurance market and create logistical chaos, fueling even more uncertainty for Hoosiers. Furthermore, we do not believe the IDOI has the authority under Indiana law to fulfill the President’s untimely request.” And there is a recognition that if Obamacare collapses – and it is far too early to make that determination, though that po- tential has grown remarkably since the disas- trous Oct. 1 federal exchange rollout – it will mean Congress and the state legislatures will enter a health policy triage. “The fact is that we can’t afford the health care system that we had,” said House Ways & Means Chair- Minority Leader Scott Pelath, D-Michigan City, human man Tim Brown also resources director for the Swanson Center mental health a medical doctor, and facility. “As an HR director, I work in a place where people controlling eight of 11 need stuff done. You can’t sustain 20- to 25-percent pre- congressmen, that in- mium increases every year. You can’t do it. We can’t afford cludes Rep. Larry Buc- to keep sending people to emergency rooms as their only shon, a heart surgeon. health care option. Are we going to have to make this This emerging scenario begs for a comprehensive work? Absolutely.” statewide approach in a potential three-year time frame Senate President David Long, in addressing In- that Obamacare establishes for a Medicaid expansion. The diana’s decision to not leap into the traditional Medicaid state has world-renowned research universities; life sci- expansion, said that once the Obamacare confusion settles ence, orthopedic and pharmaceutical clusters; entrepre- one way or another, the Indiana General Assembly will be neurs ranging from BioMet’s Dane Miller to a reservoir of forced to act. “Twenty-five states have done just like Indi- innovation at companies like Cook Medical Group and Eli ana. If those states band together and join together and Lilly; and consumer-driven policy innovation that resulted in say, ‘We’re going to have a plan,’ if we all stand together, HOWEY Politics Indiana Page 4 Weekly Briefing on Indiana Politics Thursday, Nov. 21, 2013 a post-IBM “hybrid” safety While Indiana net program at FSSA to Republicans constantly the forging of the fledgling emphasize the business Healthy Indiana Plan. climate in the state, a Asked about a po- critical component of that tential blue ribbon commis- climate is the general sion pulling the various ar- health of the population.
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