Indiana
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.
Camille Beeson on Medicaid waitlist affecting Indiana seniors, assisted living facilities
Camille Beeson, regional director of operations at the Wyndmoor of Castleton, speaks on how Indiana’s waitlist for Medicaid waiver services is affecting seniors and assisted living facilities.
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.
Indiana Fever win season series over Phoenix Mercury with late heroics
The game was up for grabs late, and without Caitlin Clark, it was Ty Harris delivering alongside the stars. IndyStar Fever insider Chloe Peterson details.
PHOENIX — The Indiana Fever barely eked out of Mortgage Matchup Arena with a 92-89 win over the Phoenix Mercury on Thursday night on the second night of a back-to-back.
Caitlin Clark (rest) did not play after making her return on a minutes restriction on Wednesday against Los Angeles. Aliyah Boston, who missed the game against L.A. for precautionary reasons, finished with 19 points and eight rebounds against the Mercury.
Kelsey Mitchell scored 29 points on 10-of-22 shooting, adding on eight assists. She hit the game-winning layup with 10 seconds left. Tyasha Harris finished with 15 points and five assists, including a stretch of nine of 11 Fever points to close the gap.
Phoenix’s Alyssa Thomas had 22 points, six rebounds and seven assists, Kahleah Copper added 22 points and five rebounds.
Here’s what I liked and disliked, and what the win means.
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What I liked in the Indiana Fever’s win vs Phoenix Mercury
- Early 3-point shooting: One of Boston’s main focuses this offseason was improving her 3-point shot, and it’s coming to fruition. She made two 3-pointers in the first quarter, helping lead the Fever to six total makes beyond the arc in the opening 10-minute period. Harris, starting in place of Clark, had two 3-pointers in the first quarter, as well, with Lexie Hull and Mitchell each making one. At the time, it was big for the Fever to maintain a lead.
- Roaring back in the third quarter: Basketball is a game of runs, and the Fever embodied that. They led by 12 in the first, then trailed by four at halftime, then went on a 20-9 run over seven minutes in the third quarter to take a one-point lead by the end of the third. Mitchell was the one to lead that comeback, scoring nine points on 3-of-6 shooting along with three assists in that quarter. The third was crucial for the Fever not just to get back into the lead, but, especially on a back-to-back, to try and have the mental fortitude to close the game out.
- Tyasha Harris coming in clutch: Harris’ role has expanded since Clark has been out (or limited), and she is making the most of her minutes. She scored nine points in the fourth quarter alone, including a 3-pointer with three minutes left to take the lead, then four straight points to give the Fever the lead again with 44 seconds left. She finished the game with 15 points and five assists, being the facilitator the Fever need while Clark recovers.
What I disliked in the Indiana Fever’s win vs Phoenix Mercury
- Second-quarter slide: For the second straight game, the Fever held a double-digit lead in the first quarter then were trailing by halftime. The Fever allowed the Mercury to shoot 12 of 20 from the field in the second quarter (and 5 of 8 from 3-point range), completely negating the Fever’s six 3-pointers from the first quarter. Phoenix went on a 12-2 run over the final three minutes of the quarter, too, taking advantage of the Fever’s off the mark shots.
- Silly mistakes: In a close game like this, every possession matters. And every mistake compounds. The Fever had a few in the second half, including a shot-clock violation from Harris where she wasn’t even in shooting motion yet, a defensive three-seconds foul from Aliyah Boston, a backcourt violation from Kelsey Mitchell, and another shot clock violation from Raven Johnson to start the fourth quarter. All of those mistakes gives Phoenix extra points or extra possessions. While the Fever ultimately won the game, it made it closer than it needed to be.
What the Indiana Fever’s win vs Phoenix Mercury means
Indiana (13-9) is a strong team offensively, but recently, the Fever haven’t been able to get out of their own way on defense. It showed in the runs they gave up to Phoenix, flip-flopping the lead and forcing the Fever to continue to play from behind. It worked out for Indiana this time around, finding what they needed when they needed it, but it won’t be sustainable long term.
Chloe Peterson is the Indiana Fever beat reporter for IndyStar. Reach her at chloe.peterson@indystar.com or follow her on X at @chloepeterson67. Get IndyStar’s Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Caitlin Clark Fever newsletter. Subscribe to IndyStar TV: Fever for in-depth analysis, behind-the-scenes coverage and more.
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (WISH) — A Bloomington man was arrested Wednesday in Indianapolis on an attempted murder charge after police say he fired seven to eight rounds into a white GMC SUV occupied by three adults and four children last month in Bloomington before fleeing the area.
A news release issued Thursday from the Bloomington Police Department said members of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department’s special weapons and tactics team took Kafern P. Johnson, 32, into custody near the intersection of West 84th Street and Allison Avenue in Indianapolis without incident.
The arrest came more than two weeks after the June 23 shooting in the 1000 block of North Summit Street. That’s in a residential area next to Crestmont Park in Bloomington.
Monroe County Central Emergency Dispatch received 911 calls at 7:41 p.m. June 23 reporting gunfire in the area.
Responding patrol officers and detectives determined Johnson had fired into the SUV following a verbal fight with the vehicle’s driver. Police said the dispute stemmed from an argument over a relationship.
No injuries were reported despite the number of people inside the vehicle.
Following his arrest, Johnson was taken to an IMPD facility for questioning and later booked into the Marion County jail. On Thursday morning, he was booked into the Monroe County jail.
The release said Johnson could face felony charges of attempted murder, criminal recklessness with a firearm, and pointing a firearm. No formal charges have yet been filed, according to online court records.
Bloomington police asked anyone with additional information to call 812-349-3324.
This story was formatted for WISHTV.com using AI-assisted tools. Our editorial team reviews and edits all content published to ensure it meets our journalistic standards for accuracy and fairness.
Fairfield native, David K. Wells, 69, and his wife Aileen, were found dead inside their home in Newburgh, Indiana, Monday night. Warrick County Sheriff Michael Wilder said that deputies responded to the residence just before 8:00 p.m. after dispatch received a call around 7:40 p.m. from a friend of the family requesting a welfare check. When officers didn’t get an answer at the door, they entered through the back of the home and found the couple deceased. Officers cleared the home and waited for detectives to arrive. Investigators also obtained a search warrant to do a further examination of the residence. Authorities were able to notify family members and conduct interviews to gather additional information. Sheriff Wilder said investigators believe the couple had been dead for less than 24 hours before they were found. He also said there is no indication of any forced entry or an intruder. Sheriff Wilder has not made a formal determination as to what happened. Autopsies for the couple were scheduled for yesterday morning to help determine a cause. David Wells grew up in Fairfield and graduated from Fairfield High School in 1975. He had a long career in television commercial production in Evansville and had more recently operated the Cigar! Cigar! tobacco store in Evansville.
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