[two_third last=”no” spacing=”yes” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”” padding=”” class=”” id=””][title size=”1″ content_align=”left” style_type=”single” sep_color=”” class=”” id=””]2014 Legislative Priorities[/title][fusion_text]On October 12, 2013 stakeholders of the California Rural Indian Health Board, Inc. and Tribal Government Consultation Committee (TGCC) met at Harrah’s Lake Tahoe. A primary focus of this meeting included identifying Federal, State and Other legislative priorities for CRIHB policy staff and advocates to work on in the upcoming budget-making year. Prior to this meeting, staff developed a survey instrument which included the identification and categorization of the priorities. The survey was handed out during the meeting and survey participants were then asked to include any priorities not already mentioned on the survey form and this information was communicated to the audience. A policy panel which included James Crouch, Barbara Karshmer, Dr. Mark LeBeau, and Virginia Hedrick provided insight on pressing issues facing the California Indian community and responded to questions from the audience.
The respondents were then asked to score their most important legislative issues to take on for the upcoming year. The completed surveys, which totaled 36, were ranked in the order of importance identified by the respondents.
The priorities are listed here in order of highest priority.
State
- Advocate for Tribal Health Programs in Covered CA Health Insurance Marketplace
- Advocate for Tribal Health Programs in State/Tribal Consultations
- Enhance Medi-Cal Program, including maintaining CRIHB Optional Benefits Program
- Enhance Mental Health and Substance Abuse Programs, including CalWORKs
- Native American Best Practices
- Tribal Consultation Bill
- Reinstate State Indian Health Program grant
- Legislate CA Tribal Epi Center access to California Hospital Discharge Data
- Enhance Tribal TANF participation in Medi-Cal enrollment process
- Improve process for setting up clinics off Tribal lands
Federal
- Increase Indian Health Service Appropriations
- Advocate for Tribal Health Programs in Affordable Care Act initiatives
- Increase Indian Health Service Appropriations 100% contract support cost funding
- Protect Sovereignty and Manage Federal Services
- “Enhance Mental Health and Substance Abuse Programs and Methamphetamine Suicide Prevention Initiative”
- Support Level of Need/Health Disparities Funding Formulas
- Support Construction of Youth Regional Treatment Centers in CA
- Support implementation of Indian Health Care Improvement Act
- Special Diabetes Program Initiative
Other
- Support the Indian 51st State Medicaid Strategy
- Support the CA Contract Health Service Demonstration Project
- Enhance Medicaid/Medicare
- Address Autism on Tribal Lands
- Advocate for Tribal Health Programs in Federal/Tribal Consultations
- Long term Care/Home Health
- Native American Best Practices
- Enhance IHS Facilities Construction Policy
- Hunting/Fishing Rights
- Improve Water Quality/Quantity/Cultural beneficial use
- Environmental Health
- Traditional Health
- Support Elders Care
- Enhance Information Technology (NextGen system)
- Air Quality
- Support Small Facilities
- Protect Sacred Sites
- Increase Land Acquisition
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2013 Legislative Priorities
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