Indiana Gov. Mike Pence is asking the federal government to approve a three-year extension of the Healthy Indiana Plan health savings accounts in lieu of an expansion of a federal Medicaid system he calls "broken."
The Indiana Family and Social Services Administration filed a waiver with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Wednesday while lawmakers in the House and Senate considered using the state's health savings accounts as a substitute for expanding traditional Medicaid.
Pence wrote to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius calling Medicaid "broken" and wrought with "waste, fraud and abuse."
It's unclear if CMS would sign off on a longer extension and expansion of HIP. The agency approved a one-year extension last month.
A message seeking comment was left with a CMS spokeswoman.
