Having affordable healthcare coverage makes it easier for people to keep up with screenings, check-ups, immunizations, and other preventive services.
It also enhances the capacity of the Indian Health Service, tribal programs, and urban Indian programs to provide care.
Now that open enrollment is underway, please remind people in your community that December 15 is the deadline to sign up for a Marketplace plan that starts January 1.
While tribal citizens can enroll year-round, open enrollment is a great opportunity to let people know that special protections are available to American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/ANs) who are enrolled in the Marketplace. These protections are explained in CMS’s updated tribal version of Roadmap to Better Care (PDF, 782 KB, 24 pp).
To hear about updates on Marketplace open enrollment for tribal communities, join the CMS Division of Tribal Affairs for an All Tribes Consultation Webinar November 15, from 3:30–4:30 p.m. Eastern. The webinar will highlight policy changes in the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 and American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. It will also include discussion of tribal sponsorship of premium payments to qualified health plans.
Additionally, register for one of the upcoming Health Insurance Marketplace Open Enrollment Period Stakeholder Webinars, which will provide you with critical information and resources to help consumers navigate open enrollment. Refer to this newsletter’s calendar of events for more information.
Remember: Medicare open enrollment ends December 7. Please be prepared to answer elders’ questions about coverage. To learn more about Medicare coverage options and how to get the most out of the services offered, download the Medicare and You handbook (PDF, 3.4 MB, 128 pp). And for information about a Medicaid program designed to help AI/ANs pay Medicare costs, download and share CMS’s Medicare Savings Programs brochure (PDF, 516 KB, 2 pp).