The federal spending and tax bills propose deep spending cuts to health care, greatly
impacting Wisconsin's tribal communities. Here are now reporter Eric A. E. C. Spoke with
Shannon Holsey, president of the Stockbridge Muncie 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 Muncie Health and Wellness Center
provide medical services to tribal members and community members for 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 is entered into with tribal
nations for what was taken and what was supposed to be re-returned in the loss of our land.
Shannon Holsey, president of the Stockbridge Muncie 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 the 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
extension threats of this big beautiful bill is is that they're going to strip the advanced
appropriations and we're going back into a dysfunctional cycle. Funding the tribe's health center is
complex. It costs our nation about 16 million to operate it annually. Of that, you know, it's
multifaceted in the resources that come. It's a mix of both private insurance and Medicare. 27%
of the tribal clinics funding comes from Medicare and Medicaid. According to the Congressional Budget
Office, the proposed bill would reduce federal Medicaid by $793 billion. We have a responsibility
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 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 will tax your health care systems. 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 communities
across the state, Fred. Thank you, Erica. In related news, it began as an emergency response
to the pandemic, but the tribal elder food box program has grown into a vital source of nourishment
and cultural pride for Wisconsin's Native American elders. Now, with federal funds running out,
the program's future and the health of those who depend on it faces new uncertainty.
Here and now reporter Aditi Dibnath has the story.