Pence Expands HIP to 600,000 Hoosiers Billions in Federal Funds Will Flow Into Indiana by MATTHEW BUTLER and BRIAN A
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V19, N34 Thursday May 15, 2014 Pence expands HIP to 600,000 Hoosiers Billions in federal funds will flow into Indiana By MATTHEW BUTLER and BRIAN A. HOWEY INDIANAPOLIS – Gov. Mike Pence unveiled a drastically altered reiteration of the Healthy Indiana Plan (HIP) this morning which could expand coverage theoretically to 598,000 eligible Hoosiers and mean bil- lions more in federal dollars for the state’s health care system. Billed as HIP 2.0, the long-awaited plan, if approved by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Federal funds are available to cover 100% of Medicaid ex- Services (CMS), will expand a newly-created form of Med- pansion costs through 2016, after which the matching rate icaid coverage next year to all non-disabled adults ages ratchets down to 90% in 2020, where it will remain. What 19-64 who are under 138% of the federal poverty level. was unclear Thursday was why Indiana did not launch By offering this eligibility threshold, Indiana would qualify HIP 2.0, or something like it, last year in time to fully take for enhanced federal matching funds, something the Pence advantage of federal matching funds offered this year. As Administration had forsworn going into 2014 by refusing to of this spring, 27 states (including the District of Columbia) expand traditional Medicaid as per the Affordable Care Act. had expanded Medicaid. “No new state spending or tax increases will be The current version of HIP, which has an enroll- required for HIP 2.0,” Pence said at IU Health/Methodist ment of only 45,000, was offered and allowed under a Hospital this morning. “We can say with authority we’re going to expand HIP because HIP works.” Continued on page 4 Politic$ & Common Core By BRIAN A. HOWEY INDIANAPOLIS – Did Gov. Mike Pence change course on Common Core curriculum, with the emphatic support of his super majority Republicans in the General Assembly, to put education standards back in the hands of Hoosiers? Or did he make a political decision that will play well with some factions of the “If there is a way to do it the way Republican Party in Indiana and the governor wants, then God beyond to advance his career, po- tentially at a cost of $125 million love him. If that’s going to cover to local school districts? more people, then that’s a Ultimately, the verdict on this will be determined by Indi- success.” ana voters in 2016, or perhaps by - House Minority Leader Scott Republican voters in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina in Pelath, on Gov. Pence’s efforts a presidential race. Gov. Pence reversed a to expand Medicaid via HIP Page 2 course forged by former Gov. Mitch While it has given Pence an Daniels and Supt. Tony Bennett in emboldened set of talking points fuel- 2013, signing a bill that “paused” ing presidential speculation, where implementation of Common Core stan- he has been touting Indiana as the dards. It came less than six months “first state” to reject Common Core, after Bennett was upset for reelection it has also ignited a backlash on the and four months after Daniels became right thought to be the core of his president of Purdue University. The grassroots support. On “Fox and Bennett defeat by Democrat Supt. Friends” Tuesday morning, Pence Glenda Ritz gave momentum to the spoke of “millions of Americans rising is a non-partisan newslet- pause and ultimately paved the way up” against Common Core. “At the ter based in Indianapolis and for the shift that played out over the core of it is my objection to the notion Nashville, Ind. It was founded next two years. At the same time that that the standards written for Hoosier in 1994 in Fort Wayne. Ritz was upsetting Bennett, Pence kids and Hoosier schools were written himself survived a surprisingly close somewhere else.” He said he wanted It is published by 2% election victory over Democrat the standards “written for Hoosiers, by WWWHowey Media, LLC John Gregg. Hoosiers, with standards uncommonly 405 Massachusetts Ave., Indiana actually was in the high.” Suite 300 process of developing new standards But Heather Crossin, who led Indianapolis, IN 46204 in 2009, and then saw Daniels and the revolt against Common Core in In- Bennett ram through the Common diana, is now criticizing the governor. Core version in 2010. It was that sec- “Indiana Gov. Mike Pence was hailed Brian A. Howey, Publisher ond effort that set off a Tea Party and as being a national hero when he Mark Schoeff Jr., Washington right revolt, with citizens complaining signed legislation making him the first Jack E. Howey, Editor they didn’t have a seat at the table. governor to formally withdraw from Mary Lou Howey, Editor Ritz was able to gain their support in the Common Core,” Crossin wrote on her 2012 campaign by promising their the website Hoosiers Against Common Maureen Hayden, Statehouse inclusion. Core on April 24. “Around the coun- Matthew Butler, Daily Wire HPI could not confirm the try, the growing army of parents who total cost of the three implementation have fought Common Core for over Subscriptions processes, though Derek Redelman of two years cheered. Yesterday, how- HPI, HPI Daily Wire $599 the Indiana Chamber said little was ever, this Cinderella story sadly and spent on the 2009 standards. No one abruptly came to an end. It was on HPI Weekly, $350 seems to know the costs tied to the Easter Monday, of all days, that Gov. Ray Volpe, Account Manager Common Core implementation. Pence chose to resurrect the Common 317.602.3620 Political support for Com- Core in Indiana. Although rumors, email: [email protected] mon Core began eroding in states including from Gov. Herbert of Utah, like Indiana after President Obama, in had swirled for some time that Gov. his 2012 State of the Union address, Pence intended to do no more than Contact HPI endorsed the standards. “For less than rebrand Common Core, Hoosiers were www.howeypolitics.com 1% of what our nation spends on still shocked.” [email protected] education each year, we’ve convinced Conservative columnist Howey’s Cabin: 812.988.6520 nearly every state in the country to Michelle Malkin has been vitriolic in Howey’s cell: 317.506.0883 raise their standards for teaching and her criticism of Pence, writing two col- learning, the first time that’s hap- umns on the topic in the last month. Washington: 202.256.5822 pened in a generation,” said Obama. On May 9, Malkin wrote, “These same Business Office: 317.602.3620 What had been known as Big Business elites backed Pence’s “Common Core” took on the moniker ploy to stave off grassroots paren- © 2014, Howey Politics Indiana. of “Obamacore” and ignited a Red tal opposition by ‘withdrawing’ from All rights reserved. Photocopy- State rebellion that played out on the Common Core, and then immediately rightward fringes of the GOP, gaining adopting ‘new’ standards that recycle ing, Internet forwarding, fax- the quickest traction in Indiana. the same old rotten ones. As Hoosier ing or reproducing in any form, In March, Pence signed leg- mom Erin Tuttle put it, Pence’s stunt whole or part, is a violation of islation scrapping Common Core, and ‘gave the appearance of voiding the federal law without permission in April, the State Board of Education Common Core, while the Indiana De- from the publisher. replaced the standards by a 10-1 vote. partment of Education and the Center Page 3 for Education and Career Innovation walked it through the the potential cost to school corporations to switch gears in back door.’” mid-implementation to be somewhere in the range of $32 Terrence Moore, an assistant professor of history million to $125 million (on top of the tens of millions spent from Hillsdale College who opposes Common Core and to develop the 2009 and 2010 standards). As StateImpact reviewed an earlier draft of the standards gave the new reported: The reason for the high cost begins with the ini- standards an “F” citing “plagerism.” He said, “They want tial switch and development of the new standards, costing us to believe these are entirely new $26 million. This comes after the state already spent standards. Well, they’re not.” $6 million to adhere to the Common Core before And Micah Clark, writing of Gov. Pence signed the legislation rejecting the fed- a poll taken of his American Family eral standards in March. The rest of the costs come Institute supporters where 54% of from retraining programs for the state’s teachers, respondents gave Gov. Pence a “D which could be as high as $2,000 a teacher. How- or an F,” said, “It seems clear to me ever, if adequate online resources are secured, as that many conservatives expected Fordham Institute notes, the costs could fall to $500 much more out of a conservative a teacher. This means the final price tag could range governor and unprecedented Re- from $32.5 million to $125 million. publican supermajorities in the Indi- Pence Policy Director Chris Atkins told HPI that ana House and Senate. There were Common Core implementation costs were “absorbed several concerns, but the failure to into existing IDOE appropriations from 2009-2012. pass, or adequately defend the Mar- At the local level, we have observed increases in riage Protection Amendment, and a muddled exit from the local school spending on instruction-related technology, Common Core were the two most consistent complaints textbook, and instructional materials through the 2009- that I heard expressed from our poll takers.” 2012 timeframe.