Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Traditional Healing Medicaid topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee hears bill to allow Medicaid payment for traditional healing
Summary
The Health Finance and Policy Committee heard testimony on House File 1878, sponsored by Representative Steve Keeler, to allow Medicaid reimbursement for traditional healing services for Indigenous patients; the bill was laid over for possible inclusion in the omnibus bill.
Representative Steve Keeler on behalf of House File 1878 told the Health Finance and Policy Committee the measure would allow traditional healing services to be payable through the Medicaid services system. "This is for just traditional healing, through the Medicaid services system," Keeler told the panel.
The bill’s author framed the proposal as an expansion of culturally specific care rather than a novel policy, noting several other states including Arizona, California, New Mexico, Oregon and recently Utah have taken similar steps. "Other states have actually done this, Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Oregon. But actually, Utah was just the state that passed this," Keeler said.
Testifiers representing urban Indian health providers described the services offered and urged reimbursement. Dr. Patrick Rock, a family physician and CEO of the Indian Health Board, said his organization provides traditional healing now but is not reimbursed. "We belong to one of 41 [urban Indian health programs]," Rock said, describing limited federal funding for urban Indian programs and asking the committee to allow Medicaid payment for traditional practices. Naomi Anewash, indigenous services manager at the Indian Health Board, described personal and community health improvements tied to cultural practices, saying she used cultural practices to address depression and to lose weight.
Kathy Gomez of the Birth Justice Collaborative also testified in support, saying studies show incorporating traditional practices can improve outcomes. The committee chair limited public testimony to two minutes and asked testifiers to be concise.
After questions from members about evidence and outcomes, committee members praised the witnesses and acknowledged the testimony’s combination of clinical and lived experience. Chair members laid the bill over for possible inclusion in an omnibus bill; no final committee vote on passage was taken.
The committee record shows the measure was "laid over for possible inclusion" after testimony and member discussion. The discussion included references to a Minnesota Department of Health needs assessment and a request that the Department of Human Services consider a Section 1115 Medicaid waiver to permit payment for these services.
