Fiscal bill amended to increase Medicaid transparency. But delay to proposed cuts denied

By ABIGAIL RUHMAN Rep. Greg Porter’s (D-Indianapolis) amendment to SB 256 would have delayed the proposed shift away from attendant care until July 1, 2025. The committee voted against the amendment. (Abigail Ruhman/IPB News) Policymakers and families of medically complex children have been asking for a pause on the attendant care program cut since it was announced in January, following the $1 billion Medicaid shortfall. A House committee voted Tuesday against an amendment that would have postponed the controversial cut. Rep. Greg Porter’s (D-Indianapolis) amendment to SB 256 would have delayed the proposed shift away from attendant care until July 1, 2025. But the program hasn’t been in compliance with federal Medicaid guidelines since 2017. And Rep. Jeffery Thompson (R-Lizton), the chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, said delaying the cuts could cost the state more in the long run. Some lawmakers raised concerns about how families would be affected by the cut to the program. Rep. Ed DeLaney (D-Indianapolis) said he’s “bothered” by the uncertainty of what’s going to happen to families during the transition away from attendant care. “I don’t know how we’re going to get out of this situation, frankly,” DeLaney said. “I think this...