South Dakota Health Care Solutions Coalition continues, next meeting Jan. 25

The South Dakota Health Care Solutions Coalition met Wednesday, Jan. 11, for the adoption of the final report and the status of the six recommendations. The 40-member coalition began its work on October 2015 with focus on development of a solution that supports increased access to health care for Native Americans while leveraging general fund savings to fund expansion in the long term, and to improve health outcomes for Native Americans in South Dakota.

Recognizing the need for input and detail the coalition formed three subcommittees:

• Access subgroup – looking at better ways to deliver services currently covered by Medicaid through IHS and Tribal programs.
• New Services subgroup – charged with identifying innovative ways to provide new services not covered today to reduce more costly future care.
• Behavioral Health Services subgroup – charged with identifying solitons to address behavioral health service gaps

With the collaboration of more than 50 stakeholders from the three subcommittees, six recommendations and actions steps were formed:

1. Increase use of Telehealth services to support emergency departments and increased access to primary and specialty care consultation and treatment through Indian Health Service and Tribal Programs.
2. Develop a community health worker/community health representative program under the Medicaid state plan.
3. Expand support for prenatal and postpartum care to support health birth outcomes for American Indians.
4. Expand Capacity for mental health and chemical dependency services through Indian Health Service and tribal programs.
5. Expand Medicaid Eligible Providers of Behavioral Health and Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Treatment Services.
6. Add evidenced based services and supports for children and families, including functional family therapy as a Medicaid state plan service.

To read the South Dakota Health Care Solutions Coalition final report, with recommendations and fall 2016 Updates, can be downloaded here.

The next meeting of the coalition will be on Wednesday, Jan. 25, focusing on the federal front such as the federal obligation to pay for Native American health care. The meeting will also touch on the repeal and replace of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), block grants and per capita allocation and the impact on South Dakota residents and Medicaid.