Native people living in Maine and Utah who meet eligibility requirements can now get reimbursed through Medicaid for traditional healing.
Last month, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that the states’ respective Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Section 1115 applications were approved. Section 1115 allows states to apply for approval of Medicaid projects that serve the unique needs of their citizens but would otherwise violate federal rules.
The move joins Utah and Maine with California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Oregon in offering reimbursement for traditional healing, all of which were approved in 2024.
Utah’s Traditional Healing application points to Urban Indian Organizations (UIOs) as eligible entities. Utah is home to the Urban Indian Center of Salt Lake, which provides traditional healing programming as part of its care for the Salt Lake City Native community. Each state varies in how it includes UIOs. The National Council of Urban Indian Health, a member of the CMS Tribal Technical Advisory Group, has asked CMS to provide guidance encouraging states with UIOs to include them when developing and implementing Traditional Healing coverage.
NCUIH CEO Francys Crevier, J.D. (Algonquin) said in a statement that including UIOs is important for the many Native people who receive care in urban centers.
“Traditional Healing is an essential part of Native health care, and these approvals for Utah and Maine build on the momentum we’ve seen since CMS’s first Medicaid approvals,” Crevier said. “Utah’s inclusion of Urban Indian Organizations is especially meaningful for Native people who receive care in urban communities.”
