Indiana Governor Rules Out Medicaid Expansion Without Big Changes

Health savings accounts would have to be part of the deal

INDIANAPOLIS — Gov. Mike Pence said Wednesday that he has ruled out expanding Medicaid under the federal health care law unless Indiana gets approval to use state health savings accounts for the expansion.

Pence told reporters that the only way he would approve a Medicaid expansion would be if the state is given the choice of using its Healthy Indiana plan to cover new enrollees.

"It was important to me that we do fully fund Medicaid, but we did not fund a Medicaid expansion, nor do I think that under the current framework for Medicaid that it would be advisable for Indiana to do that," he said.