Grassroots group rallies, hopes to stop Supreme Court Medicaid petition
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Grassroots organizers are again calling on city leaders to stop a petition that has already made it to the U.S. Supreme Court.
A ruling by the court could take the right to sue from thousands of Medicaid recipients, with advocates saying it could have detrimental impacts on our most vulnerable.
Several dozen people gathered Monday outside the City-County Building in protest, asking Marion County Health and Hospital —the agency that brought forth the petition — to withdraw it. Saying this petition shows more concern for corporations than the people.
Fighting to maintain rights as a Medicaid recipient is a battle Lucas Waterfill can’t afford to sit back and watch.
He joined a group of others supporting Hoosiers in Action, calling for the end of a petition filed by Marion County health and hospital. Asking Mayor Joe Hogsett to stand with them.
“While on Medicaid I have been denied healthcare coverage when I needed it most,” said Medicaid recipient Lane Fulton.
In essence, the petition could prevent Medicaid recipients from filing suit. With advocates saying it’ll make navigating an already complicated system even harder. This case ties back to Gorgi Talevski’s death in a nursing home in 2021.
“The case is really about making certain those people who have access to equal justice and can fight to keep their benefits if they are an unlawfully terminated or reduce,” said Tracey Hutchcings-Goetz with Hoosiers in Action.
He’d been living with dementia. His family claimed a county run facility didn’t provide adequate care, resulting in his death.
“So what they’re doing to us is saying the most vulnerable don’t matter, ” Waterfill said.
In a statement the mayor’s office said: “Mayor Hogsett has consistently stated his position in alignment with the Biden administration, supporting a narrow argument regarding enforcement of the Federal Nursing Home Reform Act while disagreeing with a broader argument that could take away the ability to sue to protect rights under many federal entitlement programs.”
“What should matter is health care. What should matter is us having the right to stand up against the state,” Waterfill said.