Increasing Medicaid and Medicare Enrollment is an IHS Priority

Increasing Medicaid and Medicare Enrollment is an IHS Priority

By: Mary Smith, Principal Deputy Director, Indian Health Service

At the Indian Health Service, we know the best way to reach American Indians and Alaska Natives is to be in the community, so the new IHS pilot to increase Medicaid and Medicare enrollment is launching in communities. Patients at six health facilities in four states will benefit. Indeed, for many IHS patients, having Medicaid or Medicare coverage means having more health care options.

The pilot facilities are: Phoenix Indian Medical Center in Phoenix, Arizona; Pine Ridge Hospital in Pine Ridge, South Dakota; Rosebud Hospital in Rosebud, South Dakota; Sioux San Hospital in Rapid City, South Dakota; Blackfeet Community Hospital in Browning, Montana; and Quentin Burdick Facility in Belcourt, North Dakota.

IHS is working with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, which oversees Medicaid and Medicare, as well as other federal agencies, national and regional Indian organizations, states and Tribes to offer enrollment assistance training and host on-site enrollment events at the six facilities. Specific enrollment event dates for August and September will be posted on the IHS calendar in the following weeks.
READ MORE: Increasing Medicaid and Medicare Enrollment is an IHS Priority