The General Assembly’s cuts to Health First Indiana funding, the state’s largest public health initiative, exemplifies a concerning pattern in its policymaking: Lawmakers continue to demand immediate results from long-term investments while concurrently undercutting their effectiveness.

Over the past two years, Health First Indiana directed $225 million to local public health departments – $75 million in 2024 and $150 million in 2025. Maternal and infant mortality programs now reach 84% of counties, up from 38% before funding was available, State Health Commissioner Dr. Lindsay Weaver reported earlier this year. The funding, championed by Gov. Eric Holcomb, was an overdue attempt to reverse decades of underinvestment in Hoosiers’ health.

Prior to the Health First Indiana funding, Indiana

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