Indiana

Indiana needs Planned Parenthood and Medicaid. That’s just the truth. | Opinion

Published

9 months ago

March 31, 2025

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Indiana needs Planned Parenthood and Medicaid. That’s just the truth. | Opinion

On the state and federal levels, Medicaid is under attack, with politicians spreading exaggerations and falsehoods, trivializing the program, and working hard to strip Indiana of affordable care.

Rebecca Gibron
| Opinion contributor

Reading the news right now, you might get the idea that Medicaid is expendable. On the state and federal levels, Medicaid is under attack, with politicians spreading exaggerations and falsehoods, trivializing the program, and working hard to strip Hoosiers of affordable health care.

In Indianapolis, legislators are pushing Senate Bill 2, their effort to kick hundreds of thousands of people off of the program.

The reality isn’t reported as often: that Medicaid is a program that makes our state and country great. There are 1.8 million people in Indiana who are enrolled in Medicaid. About 40 percent of births are Medicaid-covered.

Indiana relies on the care provided by Planned Parenthood

Planned Parenthood is a key provider of essential care for Medicaid recipients in Indiana. We are here for Hoosiers when they need birth control, wellness exams, and preventive screenings, with roughly one-third of our patients using Medicaid to cover that care.

This week, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear a case out of South Carolina that could threaten this care and Planned Parenthood’s role in the program. Federal law requires that Medicaid include “any qualified provider” in the program. But in South Carolina, lawmakers are attempting to cut Planned Parenthood out solely because of its association with abortion care.

If the Supreme Court allows states to ignore federal law and target a trusted provider solely based on politics, Indiana will be less free and less healthy. With cuts to care and removal of access, unplanned pregnancies will go up, cancer diagnoses will be missed, and sexually transmitted infections will go untreated.

Most patients on Medicaid are people with low incomes who don’t have access to private health insurance and already face significant barriers to care — and, in Indiana, 65% are working while enrolled in the program.

Seniors depend on Medicaid to pay for long-term care. Families depend on Medicaid to keep their kids healthy. As many as one-third of our patients in Indiana rely on Medicaid to access essential family planning and reproductive health care.

Medicaid provides coverage of birth control, sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing and treatment, annual wellness exams and preventive screenings, life-saving cancer screenings, and more.

Medicaid is under attack, and Indiana will suffer because of it

Attacks on Medicaid are coming from politicians, too. In Congress, it has been widely reported that Republican leaders are weighing enormous national cuts to Medicaid to pay for an extension of tax cuts for the wealthy.

And here in Indiana, Republican legislators are advancing Senate Bill 2, which would kick more than 200,000 people off the Healthy Indiana Plan, one of the state’s largest Medicaid programs.

If any of these efforts succeed, the consequences for Indiana will be catastrophic. Indiana already has some of the highest health care costs in the country and one of the worst infant mortality rates in the country. Rural hospitals continue to close, and more than half have eliminated labor and delivery services. If Medicaid cuts limit or close Planned Parenthood health centers, pregnant patients in rural Indiana — already driving a median of 30–35 minutes for OB care — may go without necessary services.

The state cannot afford to lose Planned Parenthood’s services. If Indiana copies South Carolina to block Medicaid patients from accessing Planned Parenthood, other providers will not be able to absorb the patient load.

We’ve already seen what happened in Indiana when Planned Parenthood was forced to close some of our health centers– defunding led to an HIV epidemic. Elsewhere, removing access to Planned Parenthood through Medicaid has had negative consequences, too. When Texas blocked Medicaid from covering Planned Parenthood, pregnancy-related deaths doubled.

The politicians pushing for Medicaid cuts and blocking free choice of Medicaid recipients to choose Planned Parenthood don’t seem to care about this. What they care about is punishment: punishing our organization and punishing the patients who rely on us.

To our patients, please know that we are fighting this every step of the way – no matter what. We will be providing care as long as we can, and we are advocating to state and federal elected officials about the importance of Medicaid and the health care safety net. Medicaid is a critical program in Indiana and across the country, and if politicians do the right thing, it can continue to be for years to come.

Rebecca Gibron is the CEO for Planned Parenthood in Indiana.

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Indiana

Cignetti Mum on Indiana Football’s Replacements for Injured Starter Stephen Daley

Published

1 hour ago

December 24, 2025

Press Room

Cignetti Mum on Indiana Football’s Replacements for Injured Starter Stephen Daley

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana football’s biggest question likely won’t get an answer until the No. 1 Hoosiers (13-0) kick off at 4 p.m. ET Jan. 1 against Alabama (10-3) in the Rose Bowl.

After losing All-Big Ten honorable mention defensive end Stephen Daley, who led the conference and tied for the Division I lead with 19 tackles for loss, to a knee injury suffered while celebrating the Hoosiers’ Big Ten championship game victory over Ohio State on Dec. 6, Indiana must pivot to replace his production.

But Indiana coach Curt Cignetti, who met with reporters Monday on Zoom, didn’t pull back the curtain covering the Hoosiers’ plan to fill Daley’s void.

“Yeah, well, Bryant Haines does a great job coordinating our defense,” Cignetti said. “We have a lot of confidence in our players, and we’ll find the best solution that gives us the best chance to be successful.”

Indiana has plenty of possible solutions.

Potential replacements for Stephen Daley

The first centers around the “next man up” approach, a role Daley thrived in after Indiana lost starting edge defender Kellan Wyatt to a season-ending knee injury in a 38-13 win over Michigan State on Oct. 18.

Daniel Ndukwe, a 6-foot-3, 244-pound sophomore from Lithonia, Ga., saw snaps against Wisconsin and Ohio State in relief of starting edge defender Mikail Kamara, who battled lower-body ailments.

Ndukwe has played 104 snaps on defense — 47 in run defense, 32 in pass rush and 25 in coverage — while registering five total pressures, including four quarterback hurries and one hit, according toPro Football Focus. He’s steadily risen up the depth chart this fall, taking over as the No. 3 edge rusher after Wyatt’s injury and the No. 2 when Kamara missed time.

The Hoosiers have other options to consider beyond merely replacing Daley with Ndukwe.

Indiana moved defensive lineman Mario Landino from field defensive end, where he spent his freshman season, to defensive tackle over the offseason. The 6-foot-4, 284-pound sophomore has flourished on the interior, collecting five sacks and six tackles for loss this fall.

Landino has played sparingly on the outside this season, as he’s played either left or right defensive end on 76 of his 423 snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. But he’s a viable candidate to see more snaps on the end of the line of scrimmage.

Be it promoting Ndukwe to a larger role, kicking Landino outside or reshuffling additional pieces, Indiana’s coaching staff has lots to ponder — and Cignetti gave no indication of which avenue the Hoosiers plan to take.

“It’s a little bit of all,” Cignetti said. “And I guess we’ll see when we play the game what we decide to do, right?”

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Indiana

Indiana tourism surges past pre-pandemic levels in 2024

Published

13 hours ago

December 23, 2025

Press Room

Indiana tourism surges past pre-pandemic levels in 2024

INDIANAPOLIS (WNDU) – Indiana tourism surged past pre-pandemic levels in 2024, according to a new report released by Gov. Mike Braun.

The report shows 83 million visitors traveled to Indiana in 2024, a 1.9% increase from 2023. Visitor spending increased 4.7% from the previous year, totaling $16.9 billion and fully recovering to pre-pandemic levels.

Visitors spent an average of $203 each during their stays. For every dollar spent by visitors, 65 cents stayed in Indiana, according to the report.

“Our state’s record tourism year is great news for Hoosiers and proof of just how much there is to love about visiting Indiana,” Braun said. “Tourism means jobs, stronger Main Streets, and economic growth. These results show that our investments are yielding returns for our economy and showing what makes Indiana a great place to live, work, play and stay.”

To view the full Rockport Analytics report, click here.

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Indiana

Indiana faces Milwaukee, aims to halt 5-game skid

Published

1 day ago

December 23, 2025

Press Room

Indiana faces Milwaukee, aims to halt 5-game skid

Milwaukee Bucks (11-18, 11th in the Eastern Conference) vs. Indiana Pacers (6-23, 14th in the Eastern Conference)

Indianapolis; Tuesday, 7:30 p.m. EST

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Bucks -1; over/under is 220.5

BOTTOM LINE: Indiana will try to stop its five-game slide when the Pacers take on Milwaukee.

The Pacers are 2-5 against opponents in the Central Division. Indiana has a 3-14 record in games decided by 10 or more points.

The Bucks are 3-4 against Central Division opponents. Milwaukee ranks fifth in the NBA averaging 15.0 made 3-pointers per game while shooting 39.9% from downtown. AJ Green leads the team averaging 3.1 makes while shooting 46.8% from 3-point range.

The Pacers average 109.7 points per game, 7.2 fewer points than the 116.9 the Bucks allow. The Bucks average 15.0 made 3-pointers per game this season, 3.4 more made shots on average than the 11.6 per game the Pacers give up.

The teams square off for the second time this season. The Bucks won the last matchup 117-115 on Nov. 4, with Giannis Antetokounmpo scoring 33 points in the win.

TOP PERFORMERS: Pascal Siakam is averaging 23.8 points, 6.7 rebounds and four assists for the Pacers. Ethan Thompson is averaging 3.0 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.

Ryan Rollins is averaging 17 points, 5.9 assists and 1.6 steals for the Bucks. Kevin Porter Jr. is averaging 3.0 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Pacers: 3-7, averaging 108.9 points, 41.1 rebounds, 23.1 assists, 7.3 steals and 6.1 blocks per game while shooting 44.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 114.9 points per game.

Bucks: 3-7, averaging 108.0 points, 39.2 rebounds, 26.2 assists, 8.1 steals and 3.4 blocks per game while shooting 48.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 113.7 points.

INJURIES: Pacers: Obi Toppin: out (foot), Ben Sheppard: day to day (calf), Isaiah Jackson: day to day (head), Aaron Nesmith: out (knee), T.J. McConnell: day to day (knee), Tyrese Haliburton: out for season (achilles).

Bucks: Giannis Antetokounmpo: out (calf), Taurean Prince: out (neck).

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

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