Governor Braun Orders Halt to Medicaid Advertising by Managed Care Entities

Governor Braun has ordered a halt to Medicaid advertising by managed care entities (MCEs) in Indiana. The instruction was contained in a memo sent to MCEs by the Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA).

MCEs are health insurance companies or organizations offering health plans, including providers such as Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, United Healthcare, Cigna, etc.

The affected Medicaid programs include:

• Traditional Medicaid for Hoosiers under the age of 60 with low income
• Healthy Indiana Plan – For low-income Indiana residents between the ages of 19 and 64 who aren’t eligible for Medicare or another Medicaid program
• Hoosier Healthwise – For children up to age 19 and pregnant women
• Hoosier Care Connect – For Indiana Health Coverage programs members age 65+, or with blindness or disability

In the memo, the FSSA stated: “At this time, we request you immediately stop any television and radio advertisements of Indiana Medicaid Programs. Please confirm your acknowledgment and compliance. This is time sensitive and requires your immediate attention and response.”

The memo directed MCEs to acknowledge the request by the end of the business day Friday, and to provide a list of each MCE's Indiana Medicaid marketing and advertising materials.

No reason was given for the mandate to cease advertising. News 8 will continue to follow this story, including coverage of how this mandate will affect business in Indiana.