March 2014 Blogs

FY 2015 President's Budget Request

On March 20, I held an all-Tribes call to provide an overview of the FY 2015 President's Budget Request for the Indian Health Service. During the call, I provided an overview of the budget request and answered questions. We also provided a set of slides [PDF - 58 KB] summarizing the budget request. We plan to hold another all-Tribes call in 1-2 weeks to provide another opportunity for Tribes to receive an overview of the FY 2015 President's Budget Request.

More information is available in the IHS' Congressional Justification.

We also posted a press release on the FY 2015 President's Budget Request for IHS.

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Join us on March 24th for a "Tribal Day of Action" for Affordable Care Act Enrollment

Repost from the White House blogExit Disclaimer: You Are Leaving www.ihs.gov 
By Raina Thiele, Associate Director White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs

Last week, Vice President Biden and Health and Human Services Secretary Sebelius spoke directly to tribal leaders and community members on the benefits of the Affordable Care Act for American Indians and Alaska Natives. The Vice President and the Secretary encouraged action from tribal leaders and community members, to get them, their friends, and their relatives enrolled! March 24th is the National Tribal Day of Action on Affordable Care Act enrollment - a perfect opportunity for Indian Country to rally with community partners in health to organize an Affordable Care Act enrollment event. Please join us in this effort to get covered with quality, reliable, and affordable health care insurance before March 31st!

If you’re a member of a federally-recognized tribe and under a certain income level, you might qualify to pay reduced or no costs for a private health care policy, including low or zero out-of-pocket costs. Also, you can check to see if your state has expanded MedicaidExit Disclaimer: You Are Leaving www.ihs.gov , as you might now qualify!

You can enroll in a healthcare plan on the healthcare marketplaceExit Disclaimer: You Are Leaving www.ihs.gov  at www.healthcare.govExit Disclaimer: You Are Leaving www.ihs.gov , over the phoneExit Disclaimer: You Are Leaving www.ihs.gov , or by mailExit Disclaimer: You Are Leaving www.ihs.gov . And remember, even if you have a private health insurance plan, you can continue to use Indian Health Service or you can explore other options for care. Having a private health insurance plan is a way to ensure that you will receive quality, reliable health care coverage no matter when you get sick. Tell your family and friends to enroll today!

For more information on how the Affordable Care Act impacts Indian Country, go to: http://www.ihs.gov/aca/Exit Disclaimer: You Are Leaving www.ihs.gov 

Raina Thiele is an Associate Director in the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs Exit Disclaimer: You Are Leaving www.ihs.gov .

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IHS Tribal Budget Formulation National Worksession

The IHS Tribal Budget Formulation National Worksession was held in Washington, D.C., in February. The Budget Formulation Workgroup members reviewed recommendations from Tribes from all IHS Areas to develop national recommendations on the FY2016 IHS Budget. The Tribes updated their recommendation that the full funding need for IHS is $28 billion, and proposed a 17 percent increase to the IHS budget. The Co-chairs presented the recommendations at the HHS Tribal Budget Consultation session the following week. Here are pictures from the meeting:

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IHS Contract Support Costs Workgroup

The IHS Contract Support Costs (CSC) Workgroup met in February to continue their work on improving CSC estimates in the pre-award/negotiations phase. They also discussed the IHS FY2014 Operating Plan and made recommendations on CSC appropriations issues. Here are pictures from the meeting:

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IHS Direct Service Tribes Advisory Committee Quarterly Meeting

I met with the IHS Direct Service Tribes Advisory Committee during their Quarterly Meeting in Phoenix, AZ, in February. Here are pictures from the meeting:

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February Tribal Delegation Meetings

IHS held Tribal Delegation Meetings during February with the Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation, the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, Comanche Tribe, and the Great Plains Tribal Chairman's Association. Here are pictures from those meetings:

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IHS Area Listening Sessions

I recently sent a letter [PDF - 26 KB] to Tribes concerning my plan to schedule and personally attend listening sessions in all 12 IHS Areas. Area Directors will be working with Tribes to schedule these sessions sometime this year.

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United South and Eastern Tribes Impact Meeting

I met with the United South and Eastern Tribes (USET) Board of Directors at the USET Meeting in February. I also attended the HHS Regional Consultation that occurred that week at the same venue. Here are pictures from the USET Board of Directors Meeting:

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Contract Support Costs Consultation at NCAI

BIA and IHS are hosting a consultation session on Contract Support Costs (CSC) at the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) Executive Winter Session meeting on March 11, 2014, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. EST. Here is the agenda [PDF - 99 KB] and the letter [PDF - 55 KB] announcing the consultation, which includes the congressional language regarding CSC in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2014. The session is located in the Westin Washington City Center, Washington, D.C., and we have made available a conference line available for those who wish to attend remotely (dial 1-888-390-3407 code 9688103).