A House committee approved legislation that would bolster existing programs to “divert” people away from more expensive Medicaid programs.

The Indiana Family and Social Services Administration implemented a waitlist for certain Medicaid services more than six months ago — and advocates said it’s created a significant barrier to care for medically complex Hoosiers. There are more than 13,000 Hoosiers still waiting for home- and community-based services through Medicaid between two waivers.

Thousands of people are still waiting for home- and community-based health services as Indiana processes people on waitlists for Medicaid waivers. The Indiana Family and Social Services Administration launched a dashboard to provide updates on the waitlists.

In April, the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration implemented a waitlist for services under an important Medicaid waiver in response to last year’s Medicaid shortfall. New waiver slots will open on July 1 — but there’s still some uncertainty around whether there will be enough slots to accommodate those on the waitlist.

A proposal by Indiana Medicaid officials would drastically cut payments that thousands of families of people with disabilities relied on. State officials say it's necessary to curb ballooning utilization and plug a huge budget gap. But some families worry the changes could lead to them losing their jobs or even their homes.