It is our position that the state of Indiana should be properly prepared for the rollout of the Affordable Care Act. While the majority of Americans indicate dissatisfaction with the impending law, a repeal of the Affordable Care Act does not look promising. Perhaps the decision by the state not to create its own insurance exchange was an effort toward wishful thinking that an appeal would be granted. Maybe it was a budget issue or just plain defiance. As the saying goes, denial is more than a river.

It is uncertain if the state of Indiana’s decision to default to federal government management of its health care exchange will be a good one. The dominos are starting to fall as major employers begin the process of dropping coverage for spouses of employees. Businesses are cutting back the hours of part-time workers to avoid paying penalties for mandated health insurance coverage. The spigot is just starting to leak with no real incentives for employers to continue to offer health care benefits. Hopefully uninsured Hoosiers forced into a health care exchange will be well informed and receive the kind of “Hoosier Hospitality” from the Feds that they were denied in their home state.