Navajo participates in Obama health meeting

Copyright © 2008
Gallup Independent
By Diné Bureau

WASHINGTON — The Navajo Nation was one of several tribes represented Thursday at an Obama-Biden transition meeting where tribal health officials spoke to the transition team on health care among tribes and urban Native Americans.

“There are five new health facilities needed on the Navajo Nation. Access to quality health care is important,” said Anslem Roanhorse, who serves as executive director for Division of Health. Roanhorse represented President Joe Shirley Jr. at the Hubert H. Humphrey federal building in Washington.

The transition team’s meeting is the first of several to take place, transition team members confirmed. The meeting was held mostly to hear tribal leaders and representatives give their views, share concerns, and lend ideas to the transition.

“Since the early 1990s health care funding has decreased,” Roanhorse said. “We need a modern enhanced 911 system, an emergency apparatus, surgical and radiology equipment, and a rotary wing landing site to transport trauma victims.”

Health care for tribes is mostly provided through the Indian Health Services, a $3.2 billion federal agency. The Indian Health Care Improvement Act, S. 1200, which authorizes permanent funding for the Indian health agency, was passed this year by the Senate. There was no floor vote in the House.

Health care through Indian Health Service is divided into 12 regions across the United States, with Navajo being the largest.

“We have more than 500 uranium mines on Navajo lands,” Roanhorse said, adding that it represents a “significant impact to the health of our Navajos in affected communities. We need a long-term health assessment on the impacts of uranium mining and milling.” The Navajo Nation’s Health Division and Environmental Protection Agency are working jointly to address health needs brought about by uranium contamination.

Additional concerns raised by Navajo at the meeting included health care for veterans.

“We have some 12,000 Navajo veterans who have served their country throughout World War I and II, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan,” Roanhorse said. “We need further cooperation to develop a veteran community-based outpatient clinic,” he said.

“The Navajo Nation is very rural. Less than 50 percent of our homes have no telephone service, and many places cell phones don’t work. Internet service is very sparse,” he said.

Roanhorse recommended changes to transition team members on funding. He asked for direct funding to Navajo and “set aside” funding for tribes that are federally recognized. Some Division of Health programs are exempted from being routed through state health agencies.

A challenge under current Medicare and Medicaid rules for recipients who receive coverage is proof of citizenship. A federal law passed in 2005 imposed requirements on tribal citizens to show proof of U.S. citizenship before receiving Medicare and Medicaid services.

Many tribes have asked the federal government to recognize tribally issued documents. Roanhorse asked the transition team to allow tribal documents to be used as proof of citizenship.