HIP 2.0 Draws 18,000 Applicants in First Week

About 18,000 Hoosiers have applied for HIP 2.0, one week after the state announced the rollout of the expanded health insurance program that’s serving as an alternative to traditional Medicaid.

Approximately 180,000 people were immediately enrolled when Governor Mike Pence announced federal approval last week. Those people were already enrolled in other health insurance programs such as the original Healthy Indiana Plan.

Speaking to a group of health care professionals at Eskenazi Hospital in Indianapolis, Indiana Family and Social Services Administration Secretary John Wernert said Hoosiers will start seeing more advertisements for HIP 2.0 in the coming months.

"It may take a couple months before you see the TV spots and all that because we want to make sure we've got all the current applications processed and everyone is happy and things are working well and then we're going to unleash a public advertising campaign,” Wernert said.

State officials estimate 357,000 Hoosiers will sign up for HIP 2.0 in 2015 and another 161,000 will enroll in 2016 with enrollment largely leveling off after that.