“Today, we’re taking bold action to Make Indiana Healthy Again and help Hoosiers live healthier lives,” Braun said upon signing the orders. “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 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.”

The governor said Indiana will be “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.” 

Braun added his administration is 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.

Kennedy thanked Braun for his “courageous and visionary leadership,” adding that he urges “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.”

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

A number of states across the country are considering restrictions on what Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients can buy using their benefits.

According to the USDA, which administers the program, the share of U.S. residents who received SNAP benefits in FY 2023 was 12.6 percent. The percent of residents who received SNAP benefits varied by state, ranging as high as 23.1 percent to as low as 4.6 percent. In Indiana, the percent of the population receiving SNAP benefits ranged between 8 and 9.9 percent in fiscal year 2023, according to the USDA.

Gov. Braun’s April 15 health 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 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 Aptil 15. 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. “We should know exactly what ingredients are in our food so we can opt for choices with fewer artificial ingredients,” the governor said.
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. And the final aims to cut down on eligibility errors in the Medicaid program, after it was found that 28% of Indiana’s Medicaid spending - the largest budget line item - was improper spending, mostly due to eligibility errors, Braun said. “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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