INDIANAPOLIS — Governor Eric Holcomb recently signed Executive Orders to continue the public health emergency and the executive order for provisions that address the impact of COVID-19. The actions allow key items to remain in place to protect residents.
With the extension, Indiana is eligible to receive enhanced federal funding for Medicaid programs to help cover the increased costs of 500,000 residents who have enrolled in the programs due to the pandemic. The state would lose more than $175 million in future funding, and about 250,000 would lose partial or full Medicaid coverage if the public health emergency ends before the federal public health emergency.
The orders allow 200,000 eligible households to receive an additional $95 per month in federal food assistance. More than 600,000 Hoosiers are on SNAP benefits.
The continued emergency allows for the state health commissioner to serve as the statewide ordering physician for those who choose to be vaccinated, offering easy access to vaccines through pharmacies, local health departments and other health facilities.
All directives will expire on December 31. A continuation of the public health emergency and the executive order beyond that date may be deemed necessary to preserve the specified provisions.