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WHEREAS, Uncompensated care cost Indiana hospitals nearly $3 billion in 2011 ($1.7 billion
<br />in uncompensated care, plus $1.2 billion in bad debt). A recent study determined
<br />that Medicaid expansion would reduce the amount of uncompensated care
<br />provided in Indiana by $2 billion from 2014 - 2019.x' If Indiana does not move
<br />forward to maximize coverage, planned Medicare payment cuts under the ACA
<br />could lead to the closure of Indiana hospitals, which would reduce access for
<br />patients and eliminate high- paying jobs in communities across the State. Indeed,
<br />Indiana hospitals are already announcing layoffs;14
<br />WHEREAS, Indiana is positioning itself to be a leader in health care, biotech, and life
<br />sciences industries. Expanding Medicaid will strengthen these industries by
<br />providing greater access to health care for those who would not otherwise seek
<br />it, thereby creating a greater demand for health - related services and products;
<br />WHEREAS, By declining to expand Medicaid, Indiana sends the message that we are hostile
<br />to the needs of some of our State's most vulnerable residents -an unfriendly
<br />message that could incentivize some residents and businesses to leave the State
<br />and may discourage others from locating here;
<br />WHEREAS, The Healthy Indiana Plan currently covers approximately 39,000 people, and
<br />does not meet the minimum requirements of the ACA in several areas, including
<br />pregnancy or dental care, the provision of annual ($300,000) and lifetime ($1
<br />million) financial caps on coverage, and caps on enrollment.i5.16 This presents
<br />significant problems with using HIP as a vehicle for Medicaid expansion;
<br />WHEREAS, All the States surrounding Indiana- Kentucky, Ohio, Michigan, and Illinois-
<br />have already elected to expand Medicaid, making us "an island of the
<br />uninsured." 17 Other States that have expanded Medicaid include: Washington,
<br />Oregon, California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, North Dakota,
<br />Minnesota, Iowa, Arkansas, West Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey,
<br />New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, and the
<br />District of Columbia;
<br />WHEREAS, As Indiana lawmakers have forfeited Medicaid expansion for 2014, this year,
<br />Indiana taxpayers' federal tax payments will be applied toward the expansion of
<br />Medicaid in other States;
<br />WHEREAS, A recent study of the Oregon Medicaid Experiment found that Medicaid
<br />coverage decreased rates of depression, increased use of preventative services,
<br />and nearly eliminated catastrophic- out -of pocket medical expenditures;'"
<br />WHEREAS, A recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine concluded that for
<br />every 176 adults covered under expanded Medicaid, one death per year could be
<br />prevented.19 In 2010, there were 499 deaths in Indiana due to lack of health care
<br />coverage among persons age 25 -64;20
<br />WHEREAS, Illness and medical bills are the cause of 62% of personal bankruptcies
<br />nationally.21 In 2004 there were 55,177 bankruptcy filings in Indiana with
<br />27,782 classified as medically related -- this translates into approximately 106
<br />medical bankruptcy filings every business day.22 Another study found that a
<br />10% expansion of Medicaid eligibility has been shown to reduce bankruptcies
<br />by 8 %;23
<br />WHEREAS, Governor Pence has thus far declined to expand Medicaid through the ACA,
<br />essentially rationing healthcare for poor working Hoosiers;
<br />NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT HEREBY RESOLVED BY THE COMMON COUNCIL OF THE
<br />CITY OF SOUTH BEND, ST. JOSEPH COUNTY, INDIANA, THAT:
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