Indiana counties prepare for major cuts to popular public health program

INDIANAPOLIS — After divvying out $225 million for public health initiatives over the past two years, the Indiana General Assembly has reduced Health First Indiana funding for the next budget cycle to $80 million.

Roughly 93% of Indiana counties participated in 2024, with all 92 counties opting into the program this year.

“Without this key funding, HFI funding, it does create a challenge,” Shelby Jackson, the Public Health Educator for the Vigo County Health Department, said.

According to Jackson, cuts to Health First Indiana funding could severely limit the county’s ability to work with community partners to promote public health.

“If we’re working in silos or by ourselves, we can’t have as great as an impact,” Jackson said. “Some public health services that could be limited…would be certain public health entities and initiatives such as the ability for health clinics to be able to go out in the community.”

Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness said this is an issue.

“Two years ago, we took a giant step forward in public health in Indiana and we’ve taken about a half a step back,” Fadness said.

According to Fadness, grant opportunities for nonprofits that the city partners with could be significantly reduced, if not eliminated.

“We’ve been in meetings trying to figure out how we’re going to cut that budget and make sure that we’re in, in good shape for 2026,” Mayor Fadness said. “What’s most important is that we keep a dialogue going with our state legislators because right now, I think there’s a lot of interesting and creative and innovative work being done at the local health level, and I think as long as we continue that dialogue, we’ll identify solutions moving forward.”

According to Republican leadership, a significant number of counties have yet to spend all the money they’ve already received through the program. During Governor Mike Braun’s 100-day ceremony last month, the governor said the state may ultimately put more resources into the program, but that a cut in funding for now doesn’t mean it’s not a priority.

“Don’t interpret any of that as meaning that we’re not going to pay a lot of attention to it,” Gov. Braun said. “When you come up with better ideas, you may need more money to invest, and there’s nothing wrong with that, but in most cases, when it comes to government, you got plenty of money; you just need to learn how to spend it better, and that’s the approach I’ll take.”

But State Rep. Victoria Garcia Wilburn (D-Fishers) pointed out that preliminary outcomes suggest the program has saved the state upwards of $90 million so far.

“There’s been this overzealous attitude in the Statehouse that really says ‘the Statehouse knows best, and it knows best for your community,’ and I really want to push back on that,” Garcia Wilburn said.

The IDOH has yet to release its county funding estimates for 2026.