Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Health Insurance Exchange Navigator Services in Support of the Great Plains Tribal Chairmen’s Health Board (GPTCHB)

GPTCHB was awarded Health Insurance Marketplace Navigator Program cooperative agreements from 2013 to 2016 to serve the American Indian population in South Dakota and North Dakota. Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), several special provisions affecting American Indians were implemented, including a waiver of the ACA mandate for coverage and open enrollment throughout the year. American Indians have access to primary health services through IHS, but are less likely to have comprehensive health insurance to cover specialist and hospital care than other racial/ethnic groups in the United States. The goals of the GPTCHB Navigator Program include:

1. Increase awareness of the opportunity provided by the ACA to obtain health insurance coverage among American Indians residing in North and South Dakota.
2. Provide enrollment assistance at convenient locations throughout the two-State region through certified employee and volunteer Navigators. Volunteer Navigators are recruited from Tribal and urban Indian health centers, Healthy Start programs, and IHS facilities.

GPTCHB subcontracted with Sundance Research Institute to provide technical assistance for data collection, database management, and reporting on a weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual basis on the Navigator activities and completed enrollments. In addition, Sundance Research Institute staff members completed training and were certified as Navigators, which permitted staff to support GPTCHB enrollment events as needed.