Chairman Urges Lawmakers for the Expansion of Medicaid for Native Americans

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — The chairman of the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians urged state lawmakers to expand Medicaid to increase Native Americans' access to quality health care.

Gerald Gray told members of the Senate and House on Monday that peoples' lives literally depend on it.

Lee Newspapers of Montana reports Gray delivered the State of Tribal Nations speech to lawmakers. He says over half of Montana's adult American Indians are uninsured and the health care provided by the Indian Health Services is limited and inadequate. He says Indians are left without access to basic services and preventative care and have little choice in their own health care decisions.

Gray noted that white men and women in Montana live an average of about 20 years longer than Native Americans.