Covering Indian Country – December 2023

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services: Covering Indian Country

December 2023

Spotlight: Affordable health care coverage for 2024

A stethoscope and shield next to the text "2024 Open Enrollment is here"

Enrollment assisters and Marketplace navigators play a key role in making sure as many consumers as possible have affordable health care coverage.

To that end, we urge you to review a fact sheet (PDF, 576 KB, 2 pp) explaining the options available to American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/ANs) who may no longer be eligible for coverage through Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program.

AI/ANs can find out more about their coverage options by visiting HealthCare.gov, and they can apply for a Marketplace plan during the current open enrollment period.

All Marketplace plans cover prescription drugs, health care provider or hospital visits, urgent care, and more. And for the third year in a row, four out of five consumers who visit HealthCare.gov during open enrollment will be able to find health care coverage for $10 or less per month with financial help.

Four out of five consumers who visit HealthCare.gov during open enrollment will be able to find health care coverage for $10 or less per month with financial help.

Although members of federally recognized tribes and Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act corporation shareholders can enroll in a Marketplace plan year-round, we encourage you to use open enrollment to review options or enroll in a new plan to make sure everyone in your household has coverage next year.

The open enrollment deadlines are:

  • December 15, 2023, to get full-year coverage that starts January 1, 2024
  • January 16, 2024, to get coverage that starts February 1, 2024

For relevant talking points and key messages, download the Marketplace Open Enrollment Theme Week Toolkit (PDF, 244 KB, 3 pp) created by CMS for their most recent Tribal Week of Action, which encouraged AI/ANs to sign up for a Marketplace plan during open enrollment.

Also, visit CMS.gov to register for an upcoming 2024 Health Insurance Marketplace Open Enrollment Period Partner Education Webinar that will provide information and resources to help consumers navigate open enrollment. Refer to the calendar of events in this newsletter for more information.

December: Protect our elders

A Native elder and a younger Native adult look at each other, with a message encouraging people to make sure elders have health care coverage.

Share this ad in your newsletter or on your website. For more information, please visit CMS’s Outreach and Education Resources page.

Public service announcements

Share these brief audio clips and videos, available in Native languages and English, on your local radio station, website, and Facebook page.

SoundcloudAudio clips



YoutubeVideos

New 2023 twitter logo x icon designTweet it

Help your community stay well. Check in with families and make sure they have affordable health care coverage.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooJYNpe4qo0

#CMSNativeHealth

Resources about health care coverage

A collage of three resources: (1) "Third Party at Work" poster (2) Three pages from the technical assistance document, Health Coverage Options for American Indians and Alaska Natives (3) CMS Programs at a Glance brochure

Download these resources or order copies on the Tribal Products Ordering page. Please allow 2 weeks for your order to be completed.

 

Additional resources

Call for conference proposals

The National Indian Health Board (NIHB) is accepting proposals for 45-minute breakout sessions and 75-minute workshops at next year’s National Tribal Health Conference, to be held May 19–23, 2024, in Rapid City, South Dakota.

The conference theme is “Tribal Health Equity on Our Terms.” Proposals should:

  • Advance tribal public health and health equity for American Indians and Alaska Natives
  • Use a tribal lens and come from a perspective of Indigenous identity
  • Be action-oriented

People who have questions about the proposal submission process are invited to register for a webinar scheduled for December 12. The deadline to submit a proposal via NIHB’s online portal is January 26.

Resources to help increase flu vaccination

Complications of influenza often lead to hospitalization and death. That’s why the Association of American Indian Physicians (AAIP) encourages everyone ages 6 months and older to get a seasonal flu vaccine as soon as possible.

Help increase flu vaccination rates across Indian Country by sharing:

Front cover of Tribal Protections in Medicaid and CHIP Managed Care Oversight Toolkit

CMS Division of Tribal Affairs releases new toolkit

On October 30, CMS announced the release of a Tribal Protections in Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Managed Care Oversight Toolkit (PDF, 5 MB, 45 pp).

The toolkit’s release was also announced November 7, in a Medicaid Managed Care Oversight Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services Informational Bulletin (PDF, 349 KB, 11 pp).

Building on the work of the CMS Tribal Technical Advisory Group and the National Indian Health Board’s Medicaid Managed Care Report (PDF, 15 MB, 52 pp), CMS developed the toolkit to help states, managed care plans, and Indian health care providers (IHCPs) implement the statutory and regulatory Medicaid and CHIP managed care protections for American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/ANs).

The toolkit expands on the Medicaid Managed Care Report’s recommendations by providing more detail on what states and managed care plans can do to maximize the benefits of Medicaid and CHIP managed care for AI/AN enrollees and IHCPs.

Specifically, the toolkit provides resources and strategies that states, managed care plans, Tribes, and IHCPs can use to:

  • Improve state-Tribal relationships in the implementation of Indian protections in Medicaid and CHIP managed care, including Tribal consultation;
  • Require managed care plans to maintain a Tribal Liaison position;
  • Improve contracting between managed care plans and IHCPs by using the model Medicaid and CHIP managed care contract addendum;
  • Develop internal processes to improve understanding of the managed care delivery system for AI/ANs and IHCPs; and
  • Partner with Tribes or Tribal organizations to develop an Indian managed care entity.

The toolkit can be found on both the Medicaid and CHIP Managed Care Monitoring and Oversight Initiative page and the Tribal Affairs Guidance & Resources page.

Funding opportunities

Healthy Start Initiative grants

Deadline: December 15, 2023
View the Healthy Start Initiative funding opportunity

The Healthy Start Initiative funds efforts to address disparities and improve outcomes before, during, and after pregnancy in communities with high rates of infant death, low birthweight, and preterm birth.

Up to 103 grants will be awarded for a five-year performance period. Tribes and tribal organizations are encouraged to apply.

National Board for Certified Counselors Foundation rural scholarships

Deadline: December 31, 2023
View the National Board for Certified Counselors Foundation funding opportunity

The National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) Foundation is offering scholarships to students enrolled in master’s level counseling programs.

Five scholarships of $8,000 each will be awarded. To be eligible, applicants must live in a rural area and commit to serving a rural population for at least two years after graduation.

Logos for National Board for Certified Counselors and NBCC Foundation

Patrick Leahy Farm to School grants

Deadline: January 12, 2024
View the Patrick Leahy Farm to School funding opportunity

The Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grant Program provides funds to increase the availability of local foods in schools and help connect students to their food sources through field trips, gardening, and more.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture expects to award 100 grants of up to $500,000 each for a two-year performance period. Tribes and tribal organizations are encouraged to apply.

Physicians of Tomorrow scholarships

Deadline: January 17, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. Central
View the Physicians of Tomorrow funding opportunity

The American Medical Association Foundation is offering Physicians of Tomorrow scholarships to students who are Black, Latino/Hispanic, American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN), or Native Hawaiian.

To be eligible, applicants must be entering their final year of study as a doctor of allopathic or osteopathic medicine at an accredited institution within the United States.

AI/AN medical students committed to providing care for vulnerable or underserved populations are encouraged to apply.

Calendar of events

Native Wellness Institute logo

Healthy Relationships Training

December 12–13
12–7 p.m. Eastern

Virtual
Register for the Healthy Relationships Training

Native Wellness Institute invites behavioral health and social service staff to attend a two-day training on healthy relationships. Topics will include gender differences and conflict resolution.

2024 Health Insurance Marketplace Open Enrollment Period Partner Education Webinars

December 13, 2023
January 10, 2024
January 31, 2024

Register for a Partner Education Webinar

CMS encourages enrollment assisters to attend an upcoming Partner Education Webinar for crucial information and resources to help consumers navigate the Health Insurance Marketplace open enrollment period. Each webinar will begin at 3 p.m. Eastern.

Indian Health Service webinars

Sponsored by the Indian Health Service (IHS) Tele-Behavioral Health Center of Excellence, the IHS tele-education webinars listed here are intended for health care team members.

Behavioral health integration webinar series, 12 p.m. Eastern
December 14: Brief Interventions for Integrated Care Settings: A Review of Best Practices
January 25: Provider Roles: Changing the Way We Practice

Mental health first aid training for UIOs

January 19, 2024
12–6:30 p.m. Eastern

Virtual
Register by December 19 for the mental health first aid training

The National Council of Urban Indian Health invites urban Indian organization (UIO) leadership and staff to an interactive skill-based mental health first aid training. Registrants will be required to complete two hours of self-paced prework online before the actual training session.

Logo for United National Indian Tribal Youth, Inc.

UNITY’s 2024 Midyear Conference

February 2–4, 2024
Phoenix
Register for UNITY’s 2024 Midyear Conference

United National Indian Tribal Youth, Inc. (UNITY) will host its Midyear Conference, which highlights community service and advocacy for Indigenous communities. Discounted registration is available through January 15.

Indigenous Women’s Health Meeting

March 13–15, 2024
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Learn more about the Indigenous Women’s Health Meeting

Clinicians, healers, elders, and community members should plan to attend the 8th Indigenous Women’s Health Meeting, which will highlight care models and community-based public health approaches to promote wellness. Topics will include trauma-informed care, substance use, and more.

2024 Protecting Our Children Conference banner

Protecting Our Children Conference

April 7–10, 2024
Seattle, with the option to attend virtually
Register for the Protecting Our Children Conference

The title of the 42nd annual Protecting Our Children Conference is “Together We Stand: Preserving the Spirit of ICWA.” Sponsored by the National Indian Child Welfare Association, the conference is geared toward social service providers, legal professionals, advocates for children, and tribal and federal leaders.

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About the newsletter

Covering Indian Country is published by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Division of Tribal Affairs to share resources, success stories, and best practices with the people who connect tribal communities to health care coverage.


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