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Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services: Covering Indian Country

January 2017

Covering Indian Country


Welcome. We know that reaching out to American Indians and Alaska Natives about health coverage can be challenging, and we’re here to help. Each month, we will share materials, resources, social media, best practices, and more to help you connect others to health coverage.

Keep up with the latest ACA news and outreach tools.


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Celebrating your success

Barely a month after the Marketplace went live in 2014, L. Jace Killsback—then a tribal leader—walked into the Northern Cheyenne Tribe’s medical resource office and asked for help signing up.

L. Jace Killsback and his family

“I was one of, if not the first, to enroll, and it was a learning experience for both of us. Now, after 2 years, our medical resource people are on point. They know the programs like the back of their hands and, being tribal members, they have the cultural context, and they know how to relate to us. That’s very helpful. If I could say just one thing to a patient benefits coordinator, it would be ‘thank you.’”

Story courtesy of the Office of Minority Health

January: Start the New Year Right

Start the New Year right. Insurance offers these free preventive services and many more to help you meet your resolutions. - a message from Healthcare.gov

Share this ad in your newsletter or on your website. Other sizes are available at: http://go.cms.gov/aianoutreach

Public Service Announcements

Share these informational audio clips and videos about Medicare (Part D) on your local radio station, website, and Facebook page.

Soundcloud Audio
English Lakota Navajo Ojibwe Yupik Zuni

Youtube Video
English Lakota Navajo Ojibwe Yupik Zuni

TwitterTweet it

Keep your resolutions on track. Sign up for #insurance and enjoy free preventive services! Video: http://bit.ly/2iyJIN0 #Nativehealth

Flyers and Fact Sheets

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


Coverage to Care booklet

From Coverage to Care: A Roadmap to Better Care & a Healthier You. This booklet contains helpful information on using health insurance, finding health care centers and doctors, making appointments, and preparing for doctor visits. (PDF, 800 KB)


Tribal Glossary booklet

Tribal Glossary. This booklet explains terms commonly used when talking about health insurance, the Affordable Care Act, and American Indian and Alaska Native health services. (PDF, 501 KB)


Essential Health Benefits brochure

Essential Health Benefits for American Indians and Alaska Natives. This brochure describes the benefits provided by the Marketplace, Medicaid, or Children Health Insurance Program (CHIP) plans. These benefits include free preventive services. (PDF, 2.40 MB)

Expert Tips

Reaching out to AI/AN youth

The National Indian Health Board (NIHB)—a leading resource and advocate for American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) health and wellness issues—has some great recommendations for reaching out to Native youth about health insurance concepts. NIHB staffer Chawin ‘Win’ Reilly, Tribal Health Care Reform Program Associate, has done significant work in reaching AI/AN youth and educating them on the benefits of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and health insurance coverage options. He offers these helpful tips for enrollment assistors and patient benefit coordinators working in Indian Country:

  • Create opportunities for youth to help develop outreach materials, including brochures, posters, and videos
  • Clearly explain that health insurance and the Indian Health Service (IHS) are not the same; IHS is not a form of health insurance coverage
  • Discuss health insurance concepts in terms of activities relatable to AI/AN youth, which may include sports, nutrition, and routine wellness check-ups

Check out NIHB’s newly developed ACA Toolkit for Native Youth, including free downloadable brochures, posters, and a video. To learn more, contact Win Reilly at wreilly@nihb.org.

Win Reilly with Tenai Tortice holding a sign that says, "The Affordable Care Act, What Native Youth Need to Know."

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Native youth video and toolkit

Picture of the opening screen of the Affordable Care Act: What Native Youth Need to Know video

The National Indian Health Board, in partnership with the Indian Health Service, developed a film and toolkit for Native youth leaders. The Affordable Care Act: What Native Youth Need to Know follows several youth as they learn about the Affordable Care Act and explore how health coverage benefits Native youth and their communities.

Flu Vaccinations

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend that everyone over the age of 6 months get a flu vaccination each year. Native people are at high risk for serious flu complications. In fact, pneumonia and flu are a leading cause of death among Native elders.

It is not too late to get a flu vaccination. Use CDC’s Protect the Circle of Life resources to encourage American Indians and Alaska Natives to get their flu vaccinations. These resources include fact sheets, brochures, posters, flyers, and postcards.

Image promoting flu vacinnations with a medicine wheel surrounded by pairs of shoes and moccasins. The message reads,"Protect the circle of life. Your flu vaccine protects me; my flu vaccine protects you."

Webinar: American Indian and Alaska Native Marketplace Scenarios

The recent Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services webinar, “American Indian and Alaska Native Marketplace Scenarios,” demonstrated three different ways American Indian and Alaska Native families can apply for, qualify for certain benefits of, and enroll in the Marketplace or Medicaid.

Calendar of Events

2017 Presidential Transition Meeting for the New Administration

This transition meeting, sponsored by the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), is designed for tribal leaders to discuss and share information about the new presidential administration and Indian Country.

For more information, email NCAI Meetings and Events Coordinator Lee Lovelace at llovelace@NCAI.org.

January 19, 2017
9 a.m.–4 p.m. Eastern
Hyatt Regency Crystal City, Arlington, VA

2017 Native Diabetes Prevention Conference

Learn about diabetes prevention, research, and management using a blend of traditional and contemporary strategies at this conference sponsored by the University of Oklahoma’s American Indian Institute.
Learn more and register.

February 12–15, 2017
Hilton Phoenix/Mesa, Phoenix, AZ

2017 ITU Trainings

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is committed to helping the Indian Health Service (IHS), Tribal Health Programs, and Urban Indian Programs maximize their ability to access third party resources. In partnership with state and federal agencies, CMS provides trainings to patient benefits advocates on the programs and benefits available through Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and the Health Insurance Marketplace. Upcoming training dates and locations include the following:

March 21–22, 2017
Hilton Garden Inn, Gallup, NM

April 4–5, 2017
Holiday Inn Downtown, Seattle, WA

April 25–27, 2017
John E. Moss Federal Building
650 Capitol Mall, Sacramento, CA

For more information and to register for a training in your area, please visit the CMS ITU Training website.

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About the Newsletter


Covering Indian Country is published monthly by the CMS Division of Tribal Affairs to share resources, success stories, and best practices with the people who connect tribal communities to health coverage.







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