Before you start

Indiana residence
Income information for subsidy or HIP eligibility
An SSN or ITIN for the marketplace application
Records of qualifying activity, if HIP is your likely coverage
A qualifying life event, if enrolling outside the annual open-enrolment window

Step-by-step

1
Enrol in your employer's plan within the new-hire window
Typically 30 days from your start date, and missing it can mean waiting for the next open enrolment. Compare the deductible and out-of-pocket maximum, not just the premium.
Via employerWho: YouFirst 30 days of employment
2
Without an employer plan, use HealthCare.gov
Indiana runs no state exchange, so the federal marketplace is where individual plans are bought. Open enrolment runs on a fixed annual calendar; outside it you need a qualifying life event such as moving state, losing coverage, marriage or a birth.
OnlineWho: You
3
Check Healthy Indiana Plan eligibility
HIP is Indiana's Medicaid expansion programme for low-income adults, administered by the Family and Social Services Administration. It involves a POWER account to which members contribute, and eligibility and contribution levels are income-banded. Apply through the state's benefits portal and check each household member separately — children's coverage reaches further up the income scale.
OnlineWho: You
4
If HIP is or may be your coverage, start documenting activity now
Work and reporting requirements begin on 1 January 2027: 80 hours a month of employment, self-employment, study, apprenticeship or other qualifying activity, checked against a three-month lookback. That means October, November and December 2026 are the months a January 2027 renewal will look at. Exemptions exist — the state's HIP pages set out who qualifies for one.
OnlineWho: YouFrom October 2026
5
Register with a primary care physician in month one
Do it while you are well. An established relationship is what gets you referrals and urgent slots later, and confirming the practice is in your network before the first visit avoids an out-of-network bill for a routine appointment.
In personWho: YouMonth 1
6
Learn the urgent care versus emergency room distinction
An emergency room visit for something a clinic could treat can cost thousands even when insured. Urgent care handles fractures, stitches and infections far more cheaply, and Indianapolis has a dense urgent care network across all three health systems.
In personWho: You
7
Plan for allergy season and for radon
Central Indiana has a long and intense pollen season that catches newcomers, and much of Indiana sits over geology with elevated radon potential — the state health department recommends testing homes. A radon test is cheap and is worth doing in any house you rent or buy here.
In personWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Proof of Indiana residence
Income documentation for subsidies or HIP
SSN or ITIN
Immigration documents for marketplace and Medicaid eligibility categories
Records of work, study or other qualifying activity, for HIP from 2027
Evidence of losing prior coverage, if using a special enrolment period

Things most newcomers don’t know

The HIP work requirement lookback has already started.

The requirement itself begins on 1 January 2027, but it is assessed against a three-month lookback — so the activity a January 2027 renewal is judged on happens in the last quarter of 2026. Anyone who might rely on HIP needs to be keeping evidence now, not in December. This is the single most time-sensitive fact on this page.

Source: Indiana Family and Social Services Administration — HIP work requirements

Indiana expanded Medicaid, but not in the standard way.

HIP is a waiver programme with member contributions to a POWER account rather than a straightforward expansion. That means there is a safety net underneath you here — unlike Texas — but it is one you have to actively maintain: contributions, renewals and, from 2027, activity reporting. Treating it as passive coverage is how people lose it.

Source: Indiana Family and Social Services Administration

Provider depth here is better than the metro size suggests.

IU Health, Ascension St. Vincent and Community Health Network all compete across the metro, IU's medical school is one of the largest in the country, and Riley is Indiana's only comprehensive children's hospital. For a metro of two million that is unusually deep — and it is the strongest single argument for Indianapolis over a comparably priced Midwestern city.

Source: community-reported

Test for radon. Indiana's geology warrants it.

Large parts of Indiana sit over glacial and limestone geology associated with elevated indoor radon, and the state health department recommends testing. A test kit costs very little and mitigation is a known, priced fix. Almost no newcomer thinks to do it, and it is the cheapest health decision on this list.

Source: Indiana Department of Health

Common mistakes to avoid

Assuming HIP is passive coverage rather than a programme with contributions and, from 2027, activity reporting.
Missing the October-to-December 2026 window that a January 2027 HIP renewal will look back at.
Missing HealthCare.gov open enrolment and finding Indiana has no state fallback exchange.
Missing the 30-day new-hire enrolment window at a new employer.
Renting or buying a house without a radon test.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.

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