Arizona is close to becoming one of the first states to cover traditional Indigenous healing practices under Medicaid, concluding a decades-long push by Indigenous public health officials.
A Senate bill proposed by Rep. Sally Gonzales, D-Tucson, would cover traditional healthcare, like sweat lodges, talking circles and prayer, provided by Arizona tribal facilities under the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, or AHCCCS. The bill also allocates $1.3 million from state funds to support these services.
Proponents of Senate Bill 1671 argue that making traditional healing more accessible will reduce healthcare costs and improve individuals’ long-term health.
The bill passed the state Senate with bipartisan support in early March and is waiting for approval by the state House of Representatives.
“Traditional healing has not only shown to be effective in treating chronic diseases plaguing our tribal nations, but also mental, emotional, and spiritual quality of care within a holistic, whole person approach,” said John Molina, director of the Arizona Advisory Council on Indian Healthcare (AACIHC), at a February Senate hearing.
The bill follows a February decision by the federal government to reimburse tribal providers for some traditional healing through state Medicaid programs in California, Oregon, New Mexico and Arizona. Arizona is the only state where the decision requires legislative approval.
The Navajo Nation expressed support for the bill in a written resolution in February. Corey Hemstreet, an AACIHC legislative specialist and Navajo Nation citizen, said the bill would lower overall healthcare costs by increasing access to behavioral health providers and preventative care, ultimately reducing emergency room visits.
“I think the most important part is that they’re keeping (healers) in their community, and they’re healing within their community,” Hemstreet said.
Hemstreet said traditional healing commonly serves veterans, people experiencing PTSD and people struggling with substance abuse. The state funding could also benefit smaller tribes that lack the resources to establish traditional healing facilities, as well as non-native family members and community members, Hemstreet said.
The vast majority of healthcare funding for Indigenous people comes from the federal government, which has a 100% matching rate for American Indians and Alaska Natives.
Hemstreet said the bill will not advance if it isn’t heard by state representatives this week, but it will likely become a Budget Reconciliation Bill, which speeds up and simplifies the passage process.
Indigenous health leaders and AHCCCS officials have worked together for nearly 10 years to secure federal approval for traditional healing reimbursement. AHCCCS submitted the nation’s first-ever request for traditional healing reimbursement in 2015 and again in 2020, both of which were denied by Medicaid.
“I think we can all agree that faith-based, spiritual healing, complemented by modern medicine, does make a difference,” said Sen. Theresa Hatathlie, D-Tuba City, at a February hearing.
Amanda Hunter, a public health professor at Arizona State University and citizen of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe, said the bill could increase access for traditional healing in urban areas, where around 71% of Indigenous people reside, according to U.S. Census data.
“I’m excited about it,” Hunter said. “I feel like this could give people, in our modern society, another avenue of helping themselves become whole, whether it’s mental, behavioral health, anything like that, to support them as a person.”
Hunter said Indigenous people can distrust Western medicine, and this bill would give them a more culturally relevant and welcoming healthcare option.
The U.S. criminalized Indigenous cultural practices and traditional medicine for nearly a century, which was not fully reversed until the passage of the American Indian Religious Freedom Act in 1978.
Edited by Shi Bradley
