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July 2008
 CMS & State Efforts to
Interact With the Indian Health Service & Indian Tribes
The
Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and Indian Health
Services (IHS) have interacted to provide support to IHS-funded
facilities and Indian tribes in accessing Medicare and Medicaid. Together
these agencies
address efforts associated with broader policy and regulatory concerns
regarding the two programs.
CMSs efforts to consult with Indian tribes have relied primarily on
participating in the annual Health and Human Services regional consultation sessions.
The Medicaid programs used in the six states that corresponded to the
location of the 14 tribes visited have been reviewed. It has been found
that these programs have used at least one of
three mechanisms to interact and consult with Indian tribes: tribal
liaisons, advisory boards, and regularly scheduled meetings. All six
state Medicaid programs reported using at least one designated tribal
liaison who served as a communication and coordination link between
tribes and the program and provided training and technical assistance to
Indian tribes. Three of the six state Medicaid programs reported using
advisory boards to interact, and in some cases consult, with Indian
tribes.
Most states reported consulting with tribes when making
changes to their Medicaid programs. American Indians and Alaska Natives
have faced several barriers to Medicare and Medicaid enrollment despite
efforts to assist them with the application process. Some of these
barriers to enrollment were associated with the unique status of the
tribal community.
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