On July 1, the National Indian Health Board submitted testimony to the House Natural Resources Subcommittee for Indigenous Peoples of the United States for the hearing “Examining Federal Facilities in Indian Country.” In the testimony, NIHB outlined the dire need for increased funding for Tribal health facilities, including facilities construction and improvement, sanitation facilities, behavioral health facilities, and more. Read NIHB’s full testimony to the House Natural Resources Committee here.

On July 1, the House of Representatives passed the INVEST in America Act, with a vote of 221-201. This bill is the first part of President Biden’s two-part Infrastructure package. The bill includes an amendment from Congressman Tom O’Halleran (D-AZ), that would dedicate $2.6 billion to address the Indian Health Service (IHS) 2019 Sanitation Facilities Deficiency List. The amendment is similar to H.R. 1939 introduced earlier this year by Congressman O’Halleran.

On July 1, Senators Tina Smith (D-MN) and Kevin Cramer (R-ND) along with Representatives Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Raul Ruiz (D-CA) introduced bicameral legislation titled "The Native Behavioral Health Access Imrovement Act" to help Indian Health Service facilities, Tribal health programs, and Urban Indian health organizations address the mental and behavioral health needs of their communities. This bill would appropriate $200 million to the Indian Health system every fiscal year for five years.

The National Indian Health Board has worked closely with Congress to ensure that behavioral and mental health for Tribes remains a priority and is excited to see this new legislation introduced. Read NIHB’s resolution of support for a special behavioral health program for Tribes here. Read Sen. Smith’s press release here and the full bill text here and summary here.

On June 24, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a correction to a final rule published on May 3, 2021, titled “Medicare Program: Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement Model Three Year Extension and Changes to Episode Definition and Pricing; Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Policy and Regulatory Revisions in Response to the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency; Additional Policy and Regulatory Revisions in Response to the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency.” This correction details technical errors including those to the ambulatory surgical centers covered procedure list. These changes may be important for Tribal communities who have ambulatory surgical centers to understand new methodologies and policies related to covered procedures. These corrections are effective July 2, 2021.  

On June 29, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a proposed rule to improve home health services for older adults and people with disabilities. This proposed rule aims to replace the traditional payment methodology for home health services with a “system that incentivizes value and quality.” CMS is interested in hearing feedback on how to attain health equity for all patients through policy solutions that include Medicare and Medicaid dual eligibility, disability status, people who are LGBTQ+, religious minorities, and solutions for people who live in rural areas as well as those who are affected by poverty or inequality. This proposed rule includes updates to payment rates for the 2022 Home Health Prospective Payment System and a nationwide expansion of the Home Health Value-Based Purchasing Model to incentivize quality of care improvements without retracting or limiting coverage for all Medicare consumers. This is important for Tribal enrollment assisters and Tribal members enrolled in Medicare and Medicaid to understand the new policies presented in this proposed rule and how they will affect their health care insurance. For more information on these changes, CMS has provided a fact sheet for reference.

On June 28, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released an informational bulletin on “Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Managed Care Monitoring and Oversight Tools.” This bulletin highlights a series of tools and toolkits for states to use in an effort to improve monitoring and oversight of managed care to increase beneficiaries’ access to care. This toolkit also contains additional technical assistance and resources for states to use when improving their compliance with managed care requirements. This may be of importance to Tribal health care employees who specialize in Medicare and CHIP to be aware of new policies designed to help beneficiaries increased access to care.  

On June 29, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the agency’s initiative for new financial help to those who qualify. Through the American Rescue Plan (ARP), CMS is lowering the cost of health insurance starting July 1, 2021. Individuals who have received or will receive unemployment compensation for any week beginning in 2021 may be eligible for lower-cost plans and save out-of-pocket expenses. Individuals who fit this criterion should visit Healthcare.gov to see if they are eligible and submit a new application or update their existing application. Due to the Biden/Harris administration’s CMS Special Enrollment Period, individuals can also continue to apply for coverage and compare plans until August 15, 2021. This financial help may be beneficial to Tribal members who have recently received unemployment compensation. To find assistance and to learn more about these updates please follow this link: https://www.healthcare.gov/find-assistance/ 

On June 24, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released an announcement on strategies for accessing care and addressing mental health issues in children and teens. Due to COVID-19 additional stressors have caused growing emotional and behavioral health concerns among children. Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) cover essential mental and behavioral health services for children and teens up to age 19. In an effort to keep partners and grantees up to date on the latest initiatives of the Connecting Kids to Coverage Program, the program hosts regular webinars and updates its site regularly. The campaign has also updated its Outreach Tool Library to keep kids and entities in the know on how to educate individuals on adolescent mental health issues. These resources can be beneficial for Tribal health centers and Tribal communities to utilize when helping young American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) children navigate mental health issues that may have arisen due to the pandemic. To learn more about the efforts CMS has done on AI/AN children’s behavioral health please click here. If you are interested in getting involved with the campaign, please email ConnectingKids@cms.hhs.gov. 

On June 25, President Biden signed an Executive Order on “Advancing Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA) in the Federal workforce.” This Executive Order highlights the effort of the administration to include underserved communities in the Federal workforce paying special attention to leadership positions through Federal hiring and employment practices. Among other requests, this Order encourages Federal agencies to assess their current state of DEIA, establish Chief Diversity Officers within their organizations, expand DEIA training to their workforce, improve demographic data collection within their agency and advance pay equity. This Executive Order could be beneficial for Tribal members interested in employment with the Federal government, or are already currently employed by the Government, to understand the administration’s priorities for including and elevating underserved minorities. NIHB has advocated for the placement of AI/ANs in political appointments and other key Administration positions, including Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland.

If you are having difficulty registering, please email tribalconsultation@omb.eop.gov for alternate participation information. Written comments are due to OMB no later than July 23, 2021, and can be sent to tribalconsultation@omb.eop.gov.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will be hosting four HHS Regional Tribal Consultation Sessions to collaborate with Tribes on regional specific issues related to HHS policies and programs. These sessions will also provide Tribal leaders with a means to consult with leadership within HHS on national-level issues.

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) is seeking nominations for their Tribal Advisory Committee (TAC). They are seeking nominations for representatives from the following areas:

Vacancies will be filled on a rolling basis. Click here to learn more.

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is seeking nominations for their Tribal Advisory Council (TAC). These individuals are required to be Tribal officials who have the authority within their Tribe to act on behalf of their communities and who represent the collective views of the Tribes in the area from which they were nominated. These individuals when nominated will serve a length of two years before new nominations will take place. Currently, the areas open for nomination include the Albuquerque Area, California Area, Phoenix Area, and the Tucson Area. To see the work the National Indian Health Board (NIHB) has done on Tribal Advisory Committees please click here. Eligibility criteria for those interested in applying can be found here.

On March 23, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced an extension for the HealthCare.gov Special Enrolment Period. Originally through May 15, the extended enrollment period goes through August 15, 2021. The reason for the extension is to allow families to obtain Marketplace health care coverage during the ongoing public health emergency.

For more information on the special enrollment period, visit the CMS website here.