Governor Braun’s latest executive orders aim to ‘Make Indiana Healthy Again’

Submitted by Office of Governor Mike Braun

Governor Mike Braun signed on Tuesday a landmark package of executive orders with initiatives to improve Indiana’s health and well-being. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz were in attendance to support Indiana’s initiative.

Governor Braun released the following statement with the executive orders:

“Today, we’re taking bold action to Make Indiana Healthy Again and help Hoosiers live healthier lives.

“This isn’t the usual top-down, one-size-fits-all public health agenda: We’re focused on root causes, giving Hoosiers the transparent information to make decisions affecting their health, making it easier to access to fresh local food from Indiana’s incredible farms, and taking on the problems in government programs that are contributing to making our communities less healthy.

“We’re taking on big issues like preventative measures for diet-related chronic illnesses, addressing harmful additives in our food, encouraging fitness and health in schools through two new initiatives, and making big changes to food stamps to put the focus back on nutrition – not candy and soft drinks.

“We’re also focused on the health of Indiana’s biggest budget line item and biggest health program – Medicaid – by making sure that enrollees don’t exceed the income requirements for the program.

“Today’s nine executive orders reflect a new approach to health policy in the state of Indiana focused on empowering everyone to live healthier, longer lives. Let’s Make Indiana Healthy Again!”

Kennedy congratulated the governor for a multi-faceted effort to improve Hoosiers’ health.

“Thank you, Governor Braun, for your courageous and visionary leadership to Make Indiana Healthy Again,” Kennedy said. “I urge every governor across America to follow your lead by signing similar executive orders in their states to improve nutrition standards in SNAP, increase transparency around food dyes and additives, implement physical fitness tests in schools, expand farm-to-school programs, and embrace the full scope of your transformative health agenda. Together, we can Make America Healthy Again.”

Oz said he and his agency are ready to work with Indiana.

“We’re delighted to work with our state and local partners – who are critical to advancing the Make America Healthy Again agenda,” Oz said. “By prioritizing prevention, proper nutrition, and healthy lifestyle choices, we can set our younger generations up for a lifetime of success.”

Synopses of the Executive Orders

1. The first executive order overhauls work requirements for SNAP, so able-bodied SNAP recipients who are not working can be put on the path to filling one of Indiana’s more than 100,000 open jobs that require no prior experience or a college degree.
2. The second cuts down on fraud and abuse of the SNAP program by reinstating income and asset verification to ensure that this program is being used only by those who really need it.
3. The third aims to change federal rules so states are incentivized to operate high-quality, entrepreneurial SNAP programs that put enrollees on a meaningful path to self-sufficiency.
4. The fourth executive order removes candy and soft drinks from SNAP benefits so that taxpayer funds are helping low-income Americans afford nutritious food, not junk. The Governor’s office has been working with USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service and will be filing this waiver today. Indiana is among the first to take up HHS Secretary Kennedy’s call for states to file such waivers with this administration.
5. The fifth addresses Hoosier parents’ concerns with the possible negative effects of food dyes and increasing food transparency. Hoosiers should know exactly what ingredients are in their food so they can opt for choices with fewer artificial ingredients.
6. The sixth kicks off a comprehensive study of diet-related chronic illness with a goal of empowering Hoosiers to address the root causes of chronic illness through preventative, evidence-based interventions such as nutrition, physical activity, early screening, and disease management.
7. The seventh aims to increase access to direct-to-consumer food from local Indiana farms.
8. The eighth establishes the Governor’s Fitness Test and School Fitness Month to encourage Indiana’s schools to give Hoosier kids every advantage possible to reach their full potential and lead healthy lives.
9. The final aims to cut down on eligibility errors in the Medicaid program, after it was found that 28 percent of Indiana’s Medicaid spending – the state’s largest budget line item – was improper, mostly due to eligibility errors. CMS Administrator Oz has been a leader on cracking down on abuse of the Medicaid presumptive eligibility process, and Indiana is following his lead.

Senate Bill 2 will follow these executive orders to the Governor’s desk this week, which includes work requirements for the Healthy Indiana Plan. The Governor’s office collaborated with the General Assembly on making these reforms to fix Medicaid.

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Attorney General Todd Rokita responds

Submitted by Office of AG Todd Rokita

Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita issued the following response after attending Governor Mike Braun’s announcement of Executive Orders to ‘Make Indiana Healthy Again’ and a working lunch with the Governor, Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Dr. Mehmet Oz, and Speaker of the House Todd Huston.

“Indiana is now going to lead in the movement to Make America Healthy Again! It was great to be at the landmark announcement today where the governor signed several executive orders aimed at improving the state’s health and well-being. These orders are the definition of Hoosier common sense.

“It was also an honor to have Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Dr. Mehmet Oz here to stand with us as necessary changes are being made to fix the chronic health issues we are facing. Hoosiers in large numbers support the MAHA movement, and the promises that were made are now being kept thanks to the Trump and Braun administration.

“Secretary Kennedy is exactly right when he said a healthy child can have 1,000 dreams, but a sick kid can only have one. We owe it to our children, our most precious assets, to give them access to nutritious foods and we owe parents transparency to empower them to make healthy choices.”