Indiana FSSA has “Make Medicaid Boring Again” hats. Some are confused about its message

For $24 employees of Indiana’s Family and Social Services Administration, the agency that manages Medicaid, along with members of the public can buy new merchandise: a blue hat with the text “Make Medicaid Boring Again” across the top.

While it’s common for state agencies to sell merchandise to their employees, the hat has caused confusion online, with many unclear what the slogan is trying to communicate.

Some argued the hat promoted the depoliticization of the public health insurance program, which has made headlines for months as sizable cuts are considered at the state and federal levels. Others pointed out that the hat’s nod to President Donald Trump’s election campaign slogan “Make America Great Again” is inherently political and signals support for Medicaid cuts and reduction in the number of people covered by the program.

“Not exactly a catchy slogan if people can’t figure out if it’s for or against cuts to Medicaid,” one commenter noted under a Reddit post about the hats.

People directly impacted by the proposed cuts to Medicaid are also worried about the sentiment the hat sends.

Susan Brackney is a Bloomington resident and freelance writer who uses Medicaid to access medication for her treatment-resistant depression. She worries cuts to the state program might lead to a loss of her coverage.

“It feels almost like some of the leaders don't care whether I live or die, and I wish that they knew that I am a productive, tax-paying member of society,” Brackney said. “I'm not a policy wonk, and I don't know tons and tons about Medicaid. All I know is that I work really, really hard.”

The phrase itself likely originated from testimony made by FSSA Secretary Mitch Roob in front of the House Ways and Means Committee back on Jan. 30. Roob was asked to describe his vision for the future of the Medicaid program in the state.

“Twenty years from now, when I leave, my goal would be to make Medicaid boring again. To take it off the front pages, to take it off your top concern. That would be my goal,” Roob said in an exchange with Rep. Ed Clere (R-New Albany). “We have a plan to get it there, but that will require constant fiscal prudence. And hopefully, that’s the legacy I will leave.”

“Make Medicaid Boring Again. Will there be a hat?” Representative Clere responded.

“Yes, it will be blue,” Roob said, laughing.

Rep. Clere said he learned about the hat this week but hadn’t realized it was based on his exchange with Roob. To him, the slogan is about making Medicaid boring by ensuring the program is stable and well-managed.

“If ‘make Medicaid boring again’ means reducing Medicaid, making it harder to receive benefits, those sorts of things, then I don't think that would [make it boring],” said Clere. “It would ensure that it stays in the headlines and continues to be a political hot button.”

Clere, a self-described policy nerd, said the program will never be boring to him. But he hopes “boring” means the program remains available and accessible.

“We should be working together across the aisle to design a Medicaid system that is fiscally responsible and meets the needs of Hoosiers who can benefit from it, rather than looking at ways to reduce enrollment or reduce benefits or reduce reimbursements,” he said.

Because of that, Clere said he has a lot of concerns about Senate Bill 2. The bill, which is currently in the House, could radically reduce the number of people who can get coverage through Indiana’s Medicaid expansion program, the Healthy Indiana Plan (HIP).

But Secretary Roob, who oversees the FSSA, has been supportive of SB 2.

WFYI reached out to Secretary Roob for comment but he did not respond.

Some state health care advocates like the message of making Medicaid “boring” –– but also have concerns about Roob’s support for bills that could shrink the program.

“I agree with the sentiment, but I am skeptical of the policies I am seeing being able to achieve that sentiment,” said Tracey Hutchings-Goetz, the communication and policy director of the local advocacy organization Hoosier Action.

“Policies that lead to disenrollment and churn make Medicaid exciting in a bad way for Hoosiers, because it is terrifying when you find yourself disenrolled from a health care program that helps you afford having your healthcare needs met.”

Indiana lawmakers say SB 2 is in an effort to reduce rising health care spending, which has outpaced state revenue. That’s despite the fact that Indiana’s Medicaid expansion is covered almost entirely by the federal government, with the remainder funded through fees on hospitals and a state cigarette tax.

At the federal level, Republicans have claimed cuts to Medicaid are off the table, but the Congressional Budget Office has said their proposed budget can’t work without Medicaid cuts.

Indiana is also one of twelve states with a trigger law in place that would end its Medicaid expansion should federal funding be decreased below a certain threshold.

Hutchings-Goetz pointed out that provisions currently in SB 2 would prohibit advertising or promoting Medicaid by a state agency, anyone who has contracted with the Medicaid program including health care providers or law firms.

Hutchings-Goetz questions whether the hat would be illegal under SB 2.

“So supporting SB 2 and selling this hat, I think that would be a great question for Mitch Roob,” she said.

A spokesperson for the FSSA did not respond to WFYI’s request for comment on the matter.

Contact Health Reporter Benjamin Thorp at bthorp@wfyi.org.