Indiana tells providers stop advertising Medicaid INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Gov. Mike Braun’s administration has made it an immediate goal to get people off Medicaid, a publicly funded health insurance program for people with low incomes.  One of the state’s first strategies has been ordering all providers in Indiana to stop advertising Medicaid services.   Newly-appointed Secretary of Indiana’s Family and Social Services Administration Mitch Roob discussed the measure with a state appropriations committee on Jan. 16.  “Effective upon Gov. Braun’s inauguration [FSSA] stopped advertising for Medicaid,” Roob said. “We have asked the [Managed Care Entities] to stop advertising for Medicaid.” The order to end advertising covers radio and television ads, according to a memo obtained by I-Team 8.  “We will further constrain Medicaid eligibility across all the different categories of eligibility,” Roob said.  According to the Indiana Medicaid Enrollment Dashboard, Black and Hispanic/Latino Hoosiers are more likely to rely on Medicaid. It’s why Shirley Torho of the National Black Leadership Commission on Health says attempts to limit access to Medicaid is a direct attack on communities of color.  “The thing that immediately comes to mind is this tactic is being used because it’s a way to keep people in the dark or keep people misinformed about their levels of access,” Torho said.  The Indianapolis NAACP told News 8 in a statement, “Medicaid is a critical lifeline for many Hoosiers, particularly in marginalized communities… Restricting information about Medicaid benefits undermines public health and equity.” Indiana has had issues handling the Medicaid budget, which saw a $1 billion shortfall in 2023. While the federal government covers about two-thirds of the cost of Medicaid in Indiana, there are worries Congress could cut funding.  Roob said Indiana saw higher numbers than expected of people staying on Medicaid following the pandemic.  “It’s actually shocking [Gov. Mike Braun] would think that this is a way to save money,” said Dr. Jane Delgado, CEO of the National Alliance for Hispanic Health.  In a state like Indiana, where more than one in four people rely on some form of Medicaid, Dr. Delgado believes the impacts will be felt in every community.  “So, to say, ‘We’re going to let these people not have health care. If we don’t tell them about it, they don’t know about it.’ Do you really think that Hoosiers are people who are not going to be finding out about it one way or another?” Delgado said. “It’s really a slap in the face of the people of Indiana.” I-Team 8 has yet to hear back after sending multiple requests to Gov. Braun’s office and the FSSA for an interview about the new strategies to reduce the number of Medicaid enrollees.  “When our governments question why communities of color, our underserved communities, have high levels of mistrust, this is why,” Torho said. “Because this is a very insidious way to cut people’s access to resources that we know they need.”