thanks very much. >> Thank you.
>> The federal spending and tax bills propose deep
spending cuts to health care, greatly impacting
Wisconsin's tribal communities. Here and now,
reporter Eric Ayisi spoke with Shannon Holsey,
president of the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of
Mohican Indians, about how these proposed cuts could
impact tribal clinics in the state. She's here to
describe that impact. Erica. >> Fred. Tribal clinics like
Stockbridge-Munsee Health medical services to tribal
members and community members, but proposed
spending cuts to Indian health Services, Medicare
and Medicaid would cut across all Wisconsin tribes.
This report is in collaboration with ICT,
formerly Indian Country. Today.
>> It's not just a budget, it's a trust and treaty
responsibility that, you know, the United States has
entered into with tribal nations for what was taken
and what was supposed to be returned in the loss of our
land. >> Shannon Holsey, president
of the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohican Indians,
says the tribe's health and wellness center is partly
funded by the Indian Health Service or IHS, a federal
agency that provides tribal medical services across
country, including for Wisconsin's 11 federally
recognized tribes. >> That is the unique
relationship that exists and the agreements that were
entered into by the United States and tribal nations.
>> While the proposed $8 billion budget for IHS is an
increase, Holsey says the package lacks advanced
appropriations that are needed for funding
predictability. >> What one of the essential
threats of this big, they're going to strip the
advanced appropriations, and dysfunctional cycle.
>> Funding the Tribes Health Center is complex.
>> It costs our nation about 16 million to operate it
annually. Of that, it's multifaceted in the
resources that come. It's a mix of both private
insurance and Medicare. >> 27% of the tribal
clinic's funding comes from Medicare and Medicaid,
according to the Congressional Budget Office.
The proposed bill would reduce federal Medicaid by
$793 billion. to our citizens as a
sovereign nation, so it's going to be up to our tribal
government to come up with that offset to meet the
basic needs and demands. >> What are some of the
health concerns that tribal members are facing in the
community? >> What we're seeing in our
community is disproportionate rates of
people being diagnosed with heart disease, diabetes and
cancer. Alarming rates of cancer. And as you can
imagine, that is that will tax your health care system.
>> The bill also proposes adding job requirements to
Medicaid. Holsey says she's concerned that Wisconsin's
rural tribal communities could disproportionately
lose coverage because of additional hurdles to
accessing health care. >> There hasn't been a well
thought out plan in terms of how that is accessed, but
really what we're talking about is a human rights
issue. >> Holsey says there's room
for compromise in the proposed federal spending
and tax bill. But for her access to health care for
Wisconsin's 43,000 tribal population is
non-negotiable. >> We also have a
responsibility as tribal nations to make sure the
federal government upholds our trust and treaty
responsibility and robustly engage and remind the United
States government and others that as sovereign nations,
they have a responsibility to tribal nations.
>> Even as the wrangling over the federal spending
tax bill continues, one provision of the Medicaid
overhaul would eliminate the opioid abatement program.
That's a prevention program addressing the opioid
epidemic affecting native epidemic affecting native