Utah Medicaid to Cover Traditional Healing Services
Utah may soon join several other states that include traditional healing services in their Medicaid programs.
In late November, the Utah Department of Health and Human Services requested CMS approval for traditional healing services in its Medicaid program.
Some key points about Utah’s proposal:
Training and qualifications of traditional healing providers may vary widely, due...
CMS Grants Exception from “Four Walls” Requirement for Tribal Programs
CMS has issued a final agency rule with several provisions that will be of interest to Medicaid clinic services tribal health programs. Through the final rule, CMS has amended the Medicaid clinic services’ regulation (at 42 CFR 440.90) to authorize Medicaid coverage for clinic services furnished by IHS and Tribal clinics outside...
Medicaid Approval for Native American Traditional Health Practices
The California Medicaid program was notified in October 2024 that federal regulators had approved the request to include traditional healing practices and other supportive services among the array of services to help persons recovering from substance use. This is the first time that the Medi-Cal program will cover traditional health care practices...
IHS Financing for Real Estate Purchases, Leases, and Improvements
Native American tribes face many barriers to developing healthcare programs for their communities, including financing the costs of buying, leasing, and maintaining a suitable space or building in which to provide much-needed healthcare services. One way that tribes can offset these costs is through the “105(l) facility lease program,” available through the...
Medicaid to Cover Traditional Healing for Persons with SUD in Four States
California’s Governor Gavin Newsom announced October 17, 2024 that the California Medicaid program has gained federal approval to include traditional healing practices and other supportive services among the array of services to help persons recovering from substance use. This is the first time that the Medi-Cal program will cover traditional health care...
Contract Support Costs for Self-Determination Contracts
In a June 6, 2024 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Indian Health Service (IHS) must pay contract support costs (CSC) to tribes to cover the expenses tribes incur when they use income derived from other sources, such as Medicare and Medicaid payments, to further develop the health care activities...
Medi-Cal Managed Care Protections for Indian Health Care Providers
The California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) in Feb. 2024 issued comprehensive guidance to assist Medi-Cal managed care plans (MCOs) in meeting their federal and state law obligations to Native American enrollees and to Indian health care providers that operate under 638 ISDA agreements. Among the topics the guidance addresses are...