http://kunm.org en http://kunm.org/post/centennial-care-tribal-opt-out-clears-committee <p></p><p>A bill that would allow Medicaid eligible tribal citizens in New Mexico to opt-out of the states Medicaid plan, Centennial Care, has taken it’s first steps in the legislature. HB 376, which gives Native Americans the ability to opt-out of Centennial Care has passed out of committee.</p><p>Under the states proposed Medicaid program entitled Centennial Care, all Medicaid enrollees in the state would be required to enroll in one of four managed care organizations (MCO) to receive healthcare.</p><p>For New Mexico’s tribal population, this proposal is causing problems.</p> Fri, 15 Feb 2013 00:28:56 +0000 Tristan Ahtone 25113 at http://kunm.org Centennial Care Tribal Opt-Out Clears Committee http://kunm.org/post/tribal-leaders-worry-about-future-medicaid <p>New Mexico has one of the largest Native American populations in the nation with over 200,000 registered tribal members and it’s estimated that nearly 40% lacks health insurance. New Mexico has announced it will build a state-run healthcare exchange under the Affordable Care Act. However, the state has yet to decide on whether to expand Medicaid, which could mean a lot of tribal members would suddenly have access to affordable healthcare.</p><p>Take Erik Lujan for example: At the age of 30, Lujan, a Taos Pueblo tribal member, began experiencing medical problems.</p> Mon, 17 Dec 2012 17:35:03 +0000 22625 at http://kunm.org