Governor Mike Braun recently signed a landmark package of executive orders with initiatives to improve Indiana’s health and well-being. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz were in attendance at the event to support Indiana’s initiative.
The first executive order overhauls work requirements for SNAP, so able-bodied SNAP recipients who are not working can be put on the path to filling one of Indiana’s 100,000+ open jobs that require no prior experience or a college degree.
The second cuts down on fraud and abuse of the SNAP program by reinstating income and asset verification to ensure that this program is being used only by those who really need it.
The third aims to change federal rules so that states are incentivized to operate high-quality, entrepreneurial SNAP programs that put enrollees on a meaningful path to self-sufficiency.
The fourth executive order removes candy and soft drinks from SNAP benefits so that taxpayer funds are helping low-income Americans afford nutritious food, not junk. The Governor’s office has been working with USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service and will be filing this waiver immediately. Indiana is among the first to take up HHS Secretary Kennedy’s call for states to file such waivers with this administration.
The fifth addresses Indiana parents’ concerns with the possible negative effects of food dyes and increasing food transparency so Hoosiers can know exactly what ingredients are in their food and can opt for choices with fewer artificial ingredients.
The sixth kicks off a comprehensive study of diet-related chronic illness with a goal of empowering Hoosiers to address the root causes of chronic illness through preventative, evidence-based interventions such as nutrition, physical activity, early screening, and disease management.
The seventh aim is to increase access to direct-to-consumer food from local Indiana farms.
The eighth establishes the Governor’s Fitness Test and School Fitness Month to encourage Indiana’s schools to give Hoosier kids every advantage possible to reach their full potential and lead healthy lives.
The final aims to cut down on eligibility errors in the Medicaid program after it was found that 28% of Indiana’s Medicaid spending, the state’s largest budget line item, was improper spending, mostly due to eligibility errors. CMS Administrator Oz has been a leader in cracking down on abuse of the Medicaid presumptive eligibility process, and Indiana is following his lead.
Senate Bill 2 will follow these executive orders to the Governor’s desk this week, which includes work requirements for the Healthy Indiana Plan. The Governor’s office collaborated with the General Assembly on making these reforms to fix Medicaid.
To learn more about these executive orders, visit in.gov/gov/newsroom/executive-orders/.
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