Covering Indian Country – January 2024

January 2024

Spotlight: January 16 enrollment deadline

As 2024 gets underway, please urge people to visit HealthCare.gov and sign up for a Marketplace insurance plan before the January 16 enrollment deadline.

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 has coverage next year.

Remind consumers who had Marketplace coverage last year that insurance plans often change with respect to cost and participating providers.

Let those consumers know that it often makes sense to compare plans on HealthCare.gov to see if they can find an option that better meets their needs.

January 16 is the deadline to get Marketplace coverage during open enrollment for 2024.

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.

Looking for additional information that you can share with consumers? Visit HealthCare.gov or download the following resources, which are available at CMS.gov:

• Talking points and answers to frequently asked questions (PDF, 210 KB, 4 pp)
• Marketplace application checklist (PDF, 120 KB, 1 p)
• Fact sheet (PDF, 195 KB, 10 pp) explaining the special protections available to American Indians and Alaska Natives who are enrolled in the Marketplace

January: New year, new healthy habits

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

Health observances

Cervical health awareness

January is Cervical Health Awareness Month. And this year, Turquoise Thursday–a national cervical cancer awareness campaign for American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/ANs)–is January 18.

Help promote cervical health by:

• Reminding clients that cervical cancer screening is a covered preventive service for those aged 21–65 years
• Sharing the American Indian Cancer Foundation’s social media toolkit and their pledge to discuss screening options with a health care professional

Healthy Weight Week: January 21–27

Produce prescription programs help people achieve and maintain a healthy weight by increasing access to fruits and vegetables.

Research suggests that such programs can be culturally tailored to meet the needs of Native communities, which are often located in areas with little or no access to fresh foods. That’s why the IHS Produce Prescription Pilot Program awarded a total of $2.5 million in funding last year to the following five tribal grantees:

• Laguna Healthcare Corporation in New Mexico
• The Muscogee (Creek) Nation in Oklahoma
• Navajo Health Foundation – Sage Memorial Hospital in Arizona
• Pascua Yaqui Tribe in Arizona
• Rocky Boy Health Center in Montana

The pilot program’s goal is to increase consumption of fruits, vegetables, and traditional foods.

Additional resources

Call for IHS injury prevention award nominations

The Indian Health Service (IHS), Division of Environmental Health Services, Injury Prevention Program invites you to submit nominations for the Rick Smith Injury Prevention Award (PDF, 426 KB, 5 pp).

The award recognizes individuals and groups whose projects or programs have addressed injury risks or rates in American Indian and Alaska Native communities.

Email nominations to IHS by February 9, close of business Eastern. Please be sure to read more about the nomination process and the required format before making your submission.

Funding opportunities

Native American Congressional internships

Deadline: January 24 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific
View the Congressional internship funding opportunity

The Udall Foundation and the Native Nations Institute for Leadership, Management, and Policy co-manage a summer internship program for American Indian and Alaska Native undergraduate, graduate, or law students who are committed to careers related to tribal public policy or supporting tribal communities.

The program places up to 12 interns in Senate, House, and federal agency offices to enhance understanding of how the U.S. government works with tribal nations. Interns will be expected to live and work in Washington, DC, from May 29–August 3.

Rural Health Network Development Planning Program

Deadline: January 26
View the Rural Health Network Development Planning Program funding opportunity

Rural Health Network Development Planning Program grants are available to strengthen rural community health interventions and enhance care coordination.

The Health Resources and Services Administration expects to award as many as 30 new grants of up to $100,000 each for a one-year performance period. Tribes and tribal organizations are encouraged to apply.

HHS environmental justice grants

Deadline: January 30
View the HHS environmental justice funding opportunity

Tribal organizations are invited to apply for U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Environmental Justice Community Innovator Challenge grants.

The grants will support efforts to address health disparities in communities that are disproportionately affected by environmental risks and hazards, including those related to climate change.

The competition includes two phases. During Phase 1, applicants may submit one of the following:

• An innovative concept
• A pilot project

As many as 12 of the Phase 1 submissions may be selected to receive up to $25,000 each. Phase 1 grantees will then be invited to participate in small-scale testing or implementation of their approaches during Phase 2.

National Environmental Public Health Internship Program

Deadline: February 1
View the environmental public health internship funding opportunity

The National Environmental Health Association is offering summer internships for undergraduate and graduate students who have completed at least one full year of an accredited environmental health academic program.

Internships will begin in May or June and end by September. Students will have the option of participating virtually and or in person. Interns who relocate for in-person participation will be offered a need-based allowance, in addition to the base stipend.

Students considering careers with state, tribal, local, or territorial environmental public health agencies are encouraged to apply.

Regional AIDS Education and Training Centers Program

Deadline: February 5
View the Regional AIDS Education and Training Centers Program funding opportunity

The Regional AIDS Education and Training Centers Program supports training and technical assistance to improve HIV care and prevention services.

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

Calendar of events