FROM INDIANA NEWS SERVICE
Gov. Mike Braun rolled out a sweeping health and government assistance initiative Tuesday, backed by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz.
The “Make Indiana Healthy Again” program seeks to reduce welfare spending, increase work participation among benefit recipients, and launches new health studies. Braun signed several executive orders to overhaul the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. He said the changes require work participation for able-bodied adults, reinstate income and asset checks, and end the use of SNAP dollars to buy some sugary items.
“Today’s first executive order removes candy and soft drinks from taxpayer funded SNAP benefits,” Braun stated. “More SNAP money is spent on sugar drinks and candy than on fruits and vegetables. That changes today.”
The governor also ordered studies into diet-related chronic illness in children and the health risks of food dyes. The Indiana Department of Health will lead the research and recommend policy changes based on its findings.
One of Braun’s orders targets Medicaid eligibility, aiming to reduce improper payments by ending self-attested applications and requiring hospitals to meet stricter standards.
“A study found 28% of Indiana Medicaid spending – our largest budget line item – was improper spending mostly due to eligibility errors,” Braun noted. “Today we’re taking action to make sure everyone on Medicaid is eligible for it in the first place.”
Other directives promote physical activity and improve local food access, including a new Governor’s Fitness Test for students and a review of how to expand direct-to-consumer sales from Indiana farms.
