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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 1, 2015)
S moke S ignals FEBRUARY 1, 2015 Save Our Skookum team ‘We look forward to working with you’ Photo by Michelle Alaimo From left, Sydney Clark, Certified Applications assister, Tauni McCammon, Contract Health specialist, Erica Mercier, Contract Health specialist, Barbara Steere, Health Benefits specialist, Tresa Mercier, Health & Wellness Business Office manager, Loretta Meneley, Certified Application assister, and Melody Baker, Senior Contract Health specialist, are the Tribe’s Save Our Skookum team. Important tax exemption information for Native Americans 11 Overcoming obstacles to dental care The Save Our Skookum team hopes to make accessing dental care easier for Grand Ronde members. Starting in January 2015, the Skookum Health Assistance Program will be changing the way payment for dental care is made. Dental services will no longer be paid at a percentage of the fee charged to the program. Dental treatment will be paid at the approved, charged amount, up to the amount available by the Skookum Health As- sistance Program. Hopefully, this new way of paying for dental services will increase Tribal members’ participation in receiving dental treatment. As always, any primary dental coverage you may have needs to be used first. To avoid denials of payment by Skookum, make sure you use in-network providers for any primary dental coverage you may have. We know this may sound confusing and ask that if you have any questions, call one of the SOS team members and we will be happy to explain it further. The following services are not covered by Skookum or are covered under medical, as stated: • Cosmetic procedures; • Personal care items; • Splints; • TMJ periodontal splinting; • Gold dental treatment; • Culture and biopsy covered under medical. *Hospital Services – These services may be covered under the medical provisions of the health plan with proper documentation of medical necessity; hospital outpatient services, including anesthesia for pediatric dental. Tresa Mercier: tresa.mercier@grandronde.org Barbara Steere: barbara.steere@grandronde.org Melody Baker: melody.baker@grandronde.org Tauni McCammon: tauni.mccammon@grandronde.org Erica Mercier: erica.mercier@grandronde.org Sydney Clark: sydney.clark@grandronde.org Loretta Meneley: loretta.meneley@grandronde.org Any member of the SOS team also can be reached at 1-800-775-0095. Certified Application Assister sets Portland dates Certified Application Assister Loretta Meneley will be at the Tribe’s Portland office, 4445 S.W. Barbur Blvd., from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 10 and 24, and Tuesday, March 10 and 24, to provide information and answer questions about applying for an exemption from the shared responsibility payment, as well as to sign up members for health insurance. For more information, contact Meneley at 503-879-1359 or by e-mail at loretta.meneley@grandronde.org. n Fee assistance An important announcement was made recently by Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell that individuals eligible to receive health care from an Indian Health Service, Tribal or urban Indian health care provider will be able to claim an exemption from the shared responsibility payment through the tax filing process starting with the 2014 tax year. This benefit gives individuals who are eligible to receive services from an Indian health care provider, including the IHS and Tribal clin- ics, the same filing option as members of federally recognized Tribes (including Alaska Native shareholders). Both groups will continue to have the option of submitting the exemption application through the Health Insurance Marketplace. Before the announcement, exemptions were available both to in- dividuals who were members of a federally recognized Tribe and to individuals who are eligible to receive services from an Indian health care provider. But members of a Tribe were able to claim an exemption through the federal tax filing process while individuals who are eligible to receive services from an Indian health care provider were required to obtain this exemption through the Health Insurance Marketplace by filing a paper application. The availability of the tax filing process to apply for the Indian health care exemption will save time and reduce the duplication of effort. Individuals intending to claim this exemption through the tax filing process should retain the same documentation that they would otherwise submit to the marketplace as part of their exemption appli- cation. Above is a diagram to illustrate how to meet Affordable Care Act requirements for all Americans and individuals eligible for IHS. If you have questions about the exemption, call Loretta Meneley, Certified Application Assister, at 800-775-0095 or 503-879-1359. n Enrolled Tribal members can request assistance with test fees (i.e. GRE, SAT, LSAT, ACT) and admissions application fees. Contact Higher Educa- tion for more information at 1-800-422-0232, ext. 2275. n IF YOU WANT TO SAVE ON HEALTH INSURANCE, THERE’S ONLY ONE PLACE TO SHOP. Premium discounts. Cost-sharing subsidies. Low-cost coverage. Enroll now at: HealthCare.gov Need help choosing the right plan? Find an agent at CoverOregon.com Paid ad
