93 WIBC Indianapolis

ATTORNEY GENERAL REJECTS CHANCE TO HELP SICK HOOSIERS AS MEDICAID WORK REQUIREMENTS NEAR INDIANAPOLIS – Last week, a U.S. district judge ruled inMassachusetts v. Oz that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) exceeded its authority by narrowing the definition of medical frailty, which required individuals to prove the severity of their condition to qualify for an exemption from Medicaid work requirements. Individuals will qualify for an exemption if they fall into one of the five medical frailty categories. However, the court preserved other strict measures, such as a 12-month lookback limit on medical records and limits on self-attestation beginning in 2028.  While the ruling applies nationwide, the six-month grace period on enforcing medical frailty determinations and the shield from penalties apply only to the plaintiff states. State Rep. Gregory W. Porter (D-Indianapolis) urged Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita to join the lawsuit. Rokita declined, so Indiana will not get a six-month grace period or be protected from federal penalties.  “This is the type of partisanship Hoosiers are tired of,” Porter said. “The AG had a chance to protect Hoosiers, but he refused to join a Democratic-led lawsuit. A mother battling cancer doesn’t care which party leads the lawsuit. Neither does a young man with chronic pain or a 60-year-old who can’t afford their prescriptions.  “Now 25 states and D.C. have additional time to get these massive changes right. Hoosiers don’t get that chance because of one man’s decision. He’s never been shy about joining multistate lawsuits when they fit his agenda. Rokita decided his party label matters more than sick Hoosiers. @93wibc

HOUSE DEMOCRATS: HOOSIERS VOTED FOR CHANGE. HOUSE REPUBLICANS CHOSE MORE OF THE SAME. Republicans picked the architect of last year's gerrymandering push to lead a chamber voters just reshaped   INDIANAPOLIS — One day after Hoosiers broke the Republican supermajority in the Indiana House for the first time in 14 years, House Republicans chose the author of last year's Washington-driven plan to redistrict as their next speaker.   On Tuesday, House Democratic candidates earned roughly 100,000 more votes than Republicans statewide, flipping 16 seats and cutting a 70-30 supermajority to an expected 54-46 majority. The sitting speaker lost his own seat.   State Rep. Ben Smaltz (R-Auburn) carried the mid-decade redistricting bill pushed by President Trump, which carved up two Democratic-held districts to engineer a 9-0 congressional delegation. At the time, he acknowledged that map was politically gerrymandered. The bill passed the House over unanimous Democratic opposition before the Indiana Senate rejected it.   On virtually every effort by House Democrats during the 2026 legislative session to make life more affordable for Hoosiers, Smaltz voted no.   "Hoosiers sent a clear message on Tuesday to stop playing political games and get to work on the things that keep families up at night: grocery bills, healthcare costs, childcare and utility bills," House Democratic Leader Phil GiaQuinta (D-Fort Wayne) said. "Two days later, House Republicans promoted President Trump and Gov. Braun's favorite legislator. Hoosiers voted 16 Republican representatives out of office on Tuesday because they wanted change. House Republicans just gave them more of the same."   Smaltz has never served a day in the House without a Republican supermajority, which let Republicans conduct business even when Democrats weren't in the room. That era is over. Because the Indiana Constitution requires two-thirds of members present to do business, Republicans can no longer move a bill without Democrats at the table.   "The speaker decides which bills get a hearing and which ones die in a drawer," GiaQuinta said. "The days when the Indiana House serves as a rubber stamp for the White House and the governor's office are over. We'll work with anyone serious about lowering costs for Hoosier families, but we were sent here to be heard, and we won't quietly accept business as usual."   The speaker will be formally elected on Organization Day on Tuesday, Nov. 17. @93wibc