FAQ: Native Americans exempt from health insurance mandate

Tuesday, September 3, 2013  

American Indians and Alaska Natives who are eligible for care through the Indian Health Service are not required to purchase insurance under the Affordable Care Act, according to a FAQ from Kaiser Health News.

The exemption applies to Native Americans who receive service directly from IHS, an urban Indian center or a tribal / Alaska Native operated health facility. It only includes members of federally recognized tribes or shareholders in Alaska Native corporations.

However, the Department of Health and Human Services has issued a final regulation that ensures other American Indians and Alaska Natives who are covered by the Indian Health Care Improvement Act can seek a "hardship exception" from the mandate.

Get the Story:
FAQ: How Will The Individual Mandate Work? (Kaiser Health News / The Washington Post 9/3)

Federal Register Notice:
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; Exchange Functions: Eligibility for Exemptions; Miscellaneous Minimum Essential Coverage Provisions (July 1, 2013)

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