FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: April Hale at 202-812-2055 or ahale@nihb.org

NIHB Marks Affordable Care Act Tribal Day of Action with Enrollment Event in Baltimore

Event includes an ACA overview and exemption waiver training.

BALTIMORE, MD--November 24, 2014--Marking the first Affordable Care Act (ACA) Tribal Day of Action during this second Marketplace enrollment period, the National Indian Health Board (NIHB) hosted an ACA training and enrollment event today in Baltimore, Maryland.  The event is in partnership with the National Council of Urban Indian Health (NCUIH) and Native American LifeLines of Baltimore.   

National Affordable Care Act Tribal Day of Action Enrollment Event at Native American Lifelines in Baltimore, MD on November 24, 2014.

The day began with a general overview of the ACA and more specifically the American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) special protections and benefits.  Also discussed were the AI/AN and Hardship Exemptions.  Enrollment Navigators from the Health Care Access Maryland were onsite to help Tribal members learn about their options in the Marketplace and eligibility in Medicaid or Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP).

"It is part of NIHB's mission to provide outreach and education to the American Indian and Alaska Native populations on the special protections through the Affordable Care Act.  It is important for our Tribal members - especially those living in urban areas - to know their options and benefits in the Health Insurance Marketplaces.  On this Tribal Day of Action, NIHB is pleased to bring awareness to Native Americans living in the Baltimore area," said Dawn M. Coley, Tribal Health Reform Outreach and Education Program Manager with NIHB.

Members of federally recognized Tribes have special monthly enrollment status, so they are able to enroll in a Marketplace plan year round.  However, members of state-recognized Tribes or descendants - who often make-up the urban Indian population - may only enroll in a plan during this second open enrollment period, which opened on November 15, 2014 and will close on February 15, 2015.

A Baltimore Tribal community member fills out an American Indian/Alaska Native Exemption Waiver at an ACA enrollment event on November 24, 2014.

On behalf of Native American Lifelines, we are honored to participate in the Tribal Day of Action to educate our Urban American Indian constituency on the Affordable Care Act and to promote enrollment through the Health Insurance Marketplace. NAL is the Indian Health Service contract site serving Baltimore's Urban Indian population, providing referral and outreach services, direct dental, behavioral health, substance use/abuse prevention services and education, cultural classes and prison outreach. The appreciation for the White House Initiatives' call to act and to ensure that America's first people have access to guaranteed health care cannot be overstated," said Paulette (Monette) Baukol, Executive Director for Native American Lifelines-Baltimore and Boston.

"Because the ACA is inclusive of urban American Indians and Alaska Natives, it's important that our urban community members know that they are included.  It's part of the NCUIH mission to be involved in events like the national Tribal Day of Action to keep the urban community members informed and educated on the push for ACA enrollment," said a NCUIH representative.

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