Renzi Fighting For Healthcare Access For Native Americans

Congressman Rick Renzi (AZ-1) is fighting to ensure access to healthcare for thousands of Native Americans who may not have traditional forms of identification. Renzi & 10 of his colleagues pushed the Dept. of Health & Human Services to consider alternative forms of identification for Native Americans like tribal membership cards or certificate of Indian blood when considering Medicaid eligibility.

"This decision will ensure that Native Americans without traditional forms of identification will not be turned away for healthcare," Congressman Renzi said. "We will not let any Native American be denied access to healthcare on a bureaucratic technicality, & we will continue to work with Indian Health Service & others improve access to healthcare for all Native Americans."

After the Deficit Reduction Act was passed in Dec. 2005, Congressman Renzi became concerned that the provision requiring specific documents be used to determine citizenship would exclude Native Americans & others without official birth certificates. Last week the Dept. of Health & Human Services released its final decision on the rule which included document flexibility.

Anslem Roanhorse, Jr., Executive Director of the Navajo Division of Health said "I am really grateful for Congressman Renzi's effort in addressing our concerns with this provision in the Deficit Reduction Act. The Navajo Nation has 17,500 people who are over 60 years old, & a majority of them don't have birth certificates. There's also a number of people under 60 who don't have birth certificates, & Renzi's initiative is appreciated because it helps rectify this provision."

Rick Pollack, Executive Vice President, American Hospital Assoc. said "Congressman Rick Renzi should be applauded for his efforts to ensure that individuals eligible for Medicaid continue to be covered under the program. We appreciate his dedication to these vulnerable populations."