The pueblos in this region have given in and up to the polititions of the state of New Mexico. the state has forcefully and arbitrarily deemed all indians as un-insured regarding health care,and IHS has been all but shutdown, has little budget, and few programs left. Only two of the pueb.tribes have chosen to 638 out.The rest are on the state Medicaid rolls now ,whether they wanted to or not.A mamoth problem is that a large number of tribal members make on average 5,10,$20.00 too much PER YR. to qualify for medicaid,and with IHS all but dried up they fall through this large and scary crack,to be left with no health service then at all, most of them are the elderly,who are suddenly and dangerously with no health care when they need it most. (check out "No Where To Turn",Santa Fe Reporter,Dec. 13th edition,2006,or 2007) Majel and I have been working on this travisty for the last three years,tooth and nail. I'm bringing this up and to you, because it is growing and has allready hit there at home whether you have felt it yet or not. Our big question to the Senitors Bingaman,Udall, the committee on indian Affairs, Has been, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH OUR TREATIES? In order to expunge our health -Education and Welfare trust agreements,the U.S. legaly has to first deal with the actual abrigation of those trust agreements, they would have to put aside all our treaty rights, with our ok before they take the treaty agreements away. But the Gov.has appearantly skipped that step,(Bush Admin.) and as we have seen befor, they just did it.That is the why and how ,every tribe out here will soon be on medicaid, IF THEY CAN QUALIFY,if they can't, they are sunk.Sen. Bingaman, stuck a big feather in his hat when he brought an additional 44 million in appropriated funds to N.M. when he was allowed to add all the indians in this area to the state medicaid rolls. We have Navajos whose rez. crosses over to Ariz. so the N.tribe will have some members under N.M. state Medicaid,and some under Ariz. state Medicaid, Two different programs, neither giving the same coverage,to this one tribe. So it is horribly enequitable, unfair and outragious, and no where near our trust agreements, which by the way DO STILL EXIST. We are loosing our IHS, some will loose their lives ,with no care.

I just wanted you to know if you don't allready.
anahwake

I've heard about this over the years but I didn't realize it was that bad...