Covering Indian Country – October 2023

October 2023

Spotlight: Helping kids stay covered

Data indicate that children are being disproportionately impacted by procedural disenrollments from Medicaid. That’s why targeted outreach to the parents of children enrolled in Medicaid is crucial.

CMS’s Division of Tribal Affairs recognizes the key role trusted voices play in efforts to make sure eligible American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/ANs) of all ages keep their coverage.

Do your part to help AI/AN kids stay covered by urging parents to respond to the Medicaid renewal form, because information on that form will be used to determine if anyone in their household is eligible. (Parents who have not yet received a renewal form should be encouraged to double-check that their state has their correct contact information.)

Additionally, remind people that often children remain eligible for coverage, even when adults in the same household appear to be ineligible.

Trusted voices play a key role in efforts to make sure eligible American Indians and Alaska Natives of all ages keep their Medicaid coverage.

Also, in the event that a child has already lost their Medicaid coverage, recommend that the parents of that child:

• Carefully review the notice from their state to see why coverage was lost
• Contact their state with any missing or updated information that might affect the child’s eligibility for coverage
• Consider appealing the coverage decision or reapplying for Medicaid
• Explore coverage options available through the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and HealthCare.gov

For ideas of other ways you can help, download the handout, Reaching Out to American Indian and Alaska Native People About Medicaid & CHIP Renewals (PDF, 576 KB, 2 pp).

October: #GetVaccinated

Share this ad in your newsletter or on your website. For more information, please visit CMS’s Outreach and Education Resources page.

Health observances

Breast cancer awareness

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and this year, Indigenous Pink Day is October 19. Both health observances highlight the importance of breast cancer screening.

When breast cancer is caught during the beginning stages, treatment is more likely to be successful. Help promote early detection by sharing the following resources from the American Indian Cancer Foundation:

• Breast cancer screening guide (PDF, 16.9 MB, 11 pp)
• Handout on breast health (PDF, 885 KB, 2 pp) for people of all genders and sexes

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month

Additional resources

Training on opioid use disorder

A self-paced training course on the topic of opioid use disorder is available online.

Intended for community health workers and others on the front lines of the opioid crisis, the training takes approximately nine hours to complete.

The course covers prevention, treatment options, harm reduction, and more.

CDO Program applications due December 15

CMS is accepting applications through December 15 for the Certified Application Counselor Designated Organization (CDO) Program for Plan Year 2024.

Organizations that operate in federally facilitated Marketplace (FFM) states and want to provide certified application counselor (CAC) enrollment assistance to consumers must apply to become CDOs and enter into an agreement with CMS.

CDOs are an important part of the assister community. In the FFMs, CDOs oversee CACs who are trained annually and can help consumers seeking health care coverage options through the Marketplace.

An interested organization that meets the eligibility criteria should complete the CDO application online and allow 10 business days for CMS’s review of their application.

If the application is approved, the organization will be asked to access the CDO organizational maintenance web form and submit a signed CMS-CDO agreement. Review of the agreement may take up to five business days.

If the CMS-CDO agreement is approved, the organization will receive a welcome packet email with a unique CDO identification number.

For more details, download the CDO Application Web Form User Guide (PDF, 2 MB, 35 pp).

Funding opportunities

Aya Locums Future Leaders in Medicine Scholarship

Deadline: October 23
View the Aya Locums Future Leaders in Medicine funding opportunity

National Medical Fellowships will award five scholarships of $10,000 each to exceptional students from groups that are chronically underrepresented in the health professions.

To be eligible, applicants must be currently enrolled in one of the following at an institution within the United States:

• A degree program for doctors of medicine or osteopathic medicine
• A graduate degree program for nurse practitioners, certified registered nurse anesthetists, or physician assistants

American Indians and Alaska Natives are encouraged to apply.

Health Center Program’s Service Area Competition

Deadline: October 30
View the Health Center Program’s funding opportunity

The Health Center Program’s Service Area Competition funds efforts to provide medically underserved populations with continued access to comprehensive, culturally competent primary care.

Up to 163 grants will be awarded for a performance period of three years or less. Tribes and tribal organizations are encouraged to apply.

Community Wildfire Defense Grants

Deadline: October 31
View the Community Wildfire Defense Grants funding opportunity

Grants are available to help communities reduce their risk for wildfires. The U.S. Forest Service will consider projects in the following categories:

• Development or revision of a community wildfire protection plan (CWPP)
• Implementation of a project described in a CWPP that is less than 10 years old

Tribes and Alaska Native Corporations are encouraged to apply. Interested applicants who have questions about the grant program are invited to register for and attend a webinar, to be held October 25, 2–4 p.m. Eastern.

Calendar of events