Indiana

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

Published

12 months ago

March 31, 2025

Press Room

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

Does this diner serve the biggest pork tenderloin sandwich in Indiana?

Published

7 hours ago

March 23, 2026

Press Room

Does this diner serve the biggest pork tenderloin sandwich in Indiana?

EDINBURGH, Ind. (Amazing America) — Is a trip to the Hoosier state complete without digging into a massive Indiana-style breaded pork tenderloin sandwich?

The Edinburgh Diner, a classic small-town joint about 40 minutes south of Indianapolis, serves up a delicious version of the staple that just might be the biggest one out there.

Drawing locals and road trippers alike, the menu at this cozy diner focuses on classic comfort food, with burgers, fries & onion rings, hearty breakfast spreads, and hefty portions of homestyle dishes — all for an affordable price.

The Edinburgh Diner’s 16-ounce behemoth of a pork tenderloin sandwich costs just $9.99.

The recipe is pretty simple overall, but there is a whole culture built around the Indiana pork tenderloin sandwich.

A large piece of pork is pounded super thin, then dipped in flour, egg and breadcrumbs. Deep-fried until golden brown and crispy, it’s served on a basic hamburger bun with toppings like pickles, onions, mustard, or mayo.

The thing the otherwise no-frills sandwich iconic is the pork cutlet being way bigger than the bun, hanging over the edge dramatically. Locals say that if the tenderloin fits inside the bun, it’s not done right.

A crispy, salty exterior, tender pork, a soft bun and tangy toppings combine to form a simple yet beloved, satisfying Midwest meal.

Inspired by European schnitzel brought to the Midwest by German immigrants, the sandwich made its Indiana debut at Nick’s Kitchen in Huntington in the early 1900s. Over time it skyrocketed in popularity, becoming what many call Indiana’s unofficial signature dish.

It’s not just a sandwich. It’s a slice of Midwestern food culture. The debate over who makes the best one might never be settled, but until then, we are more than happy to try any and every version of this scrumptious dish — for research, of course.

The Edinburgh Diner is located at 413 S Eisenhower Dr, Edinburgh, Indiana 46124. It’s open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and closed on Mondays.

We know there are plenty of other stories of unique landmarks and cultural experiences in all corners of the USA, and we’re making it our mission to find and highlight them. If you know of one, we’d love to hear about it. Send a DM to @amazingamericatv on Instagram!

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Indiana

New judge lifts order blocking absentee ballots in Indiana Senate primary

Published

19 hours ago

March 23, 2026

Press Room

New judge lifts order blocking absentee ballots in Indiana Senate primary

(INDIANA CAPITAL CHRONICLE) — A special judge on Friday lifted an order blocking officials in three western Indiana counties from mailing absentee ballots in a Republican primary where President Donald Trump has endorsed a challenger to state Sen. Greg Goode.

Putnam County Superior Court Judge Charles Bridges took the step the same day he took over the dispute involving whether one of two women with the last name Wilson who filed to run against Goode in the primary should be removed from the primary ballot because of a 2010 criminal conviction.

The original judge on Wednesday had ordered the county clerks in Vigo, Clay and Sullivan counties to hold off on distributing absentee ballots involving the Republican Senate District 38 race.

Under state law, county election offices must start mailing requested absentee ballots on Saturday ahead of the May 5 primary.

Friday’s order from Bridges said that delaying those ballots would violate federal law and that the county court couldn’t prevent the clerks “from fulfilling their constitutional duties regarding the mailing of absentee ballots.”

Alexandra Wilson’s attorney argued before the Indiana Election Commission last month that she remained eligible since her 2010 guilty plea to a low-level Class D felony charge of resisting law enforcement at the age of 19 was accepted by a judge as a Class A misdemeanor.

The dispute has gained attention because of its possible impact on the campaign prospects of Brenda Wilson, a Vigo County Council member who has Trump’s endorsement against Goode following the senator’s December vote against the Indiana congressional redistricting plan.

The four-member Election Commission split 2-2 during a hearing last month on the challenge to Alexandra Wilson’s candidacy, with the tie vote leaving her name on the ballot.

Bridges set a hearing for Tuesday to review the Election Commission’s actions.

Alexandra Wilson’s attorney, Samantha DeWester, argued in a court filing that blocking mailing of primary ballots would wrongly hurt her client’s “ability to campaign and effectively run for elected office.”

Attorney Jim Bopp, who is a top political ally of Gov. Mike Braun and is supporting Brenda Wilson, is pursuing the legal case against Alexandra Wilson.

Bopp said he would not fight to keep the initial absentee ballots from going out with Alexandra Wilson’s name included.

“The vast majority of ballots that are going to be cast are, of course, in the future, with early voting and in-person voting,” Bopp told the Indiana Capital Chronicle. “That’s the most important thing to get right.”

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Indiana

Indiana police increase patrols on 2 interstates for spring break

Published

1 day ago

March 22, 2026

Press Room

Indiana police increase patrols on 2 interstates for spring break

Indiana State Police will ramp up patrols along major roadways during spring break to “deter dangerous driving behavior,” the agency said in a news release March 22.

The effort is already underway. On March 20 and 21, ISP’s Lafayette District patrolled Interstate 65 and Interstate 70 for aggressive driving as students and families hit the roads for spring break travel.

The results, according to police, were 223 traffic stops, 25 calls for service, five crash investigations, five drug-related charges, three operating-while-intoxicated arrests, two reckless driving arrests, two suspended drivers and one vehicle pursuit.“These targeted patrols are about keeping Hoosiers and those traveling through our state safe,” Lt. Tom McKee, Lafayette district commander, said in a news release. “With increased traffic on our roadways, our troopers were out proactively addressing those violations to reduce crashes and keep our roadways safe.”

ISP did not say how long the increased patrols will continue.Contact breaking politics reporter Marissa Meador at mmeador@indystar.com or find her on X at @marissa_meador.

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