8/21/14

Trahant: ACA gives states too much power over tribal health care

Happy 58th Birthday to Montana Senator Jon Tester!

Mark Trahant believes as this blog does that tribes are already the 51st State. He writes at indianz and at Indian Country Today:
In Montana $194 million returns $2.1 billion in Medicaid and $1.1 billion in hospital reimbursements. Oklahoma could invest $689 million and see a return of $8.6 billion in Medicaid and $4.1 billion in hospital reimbursements. And, in South Dakota, $157 million buys $2.1 billion in Medicaid funding and $.8 billion in hospital reimbursements. In all three of those states much of that extra cash would show up and benefit the Indian health system. The Affordable Care Act gives states too much power over the Indian health system. If a facility is located in a Medicaid expansion state, then opportunity unfolds. But if not, well, the disparity in funding for Indian health will get worse. [Trahant, The Nuts, Bolts and Billions in Medicaid That Could Improve Healthcare]
The Republican candidate for US Senate in South Dakota has blown off an opportunity to address tribal nations trapped in the state while Rick Weiland is actively campaigning in Indian Country. So is Amanda Curtis, the Democratic Senate hopeful in Montana.

A quote or some version of it is making the twitter rounds: "Not voting is not rebellion; it's surrender."




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