The Supreme Court agreed to hear a case from the San Carlos Apache and the Northern Arapaho Tribe over claims that the Indian Health Service is shortchanging them on health care reimbursements. In this 2019 photo, Nurse Diana Weaselboy checks a patient at Patina Wellness Center in Phoenix, part of Native American Connections.
WASHINGTON, D.C.-The Supreme Court said in November that it would consider a claim by the San Carlos Apache tribe that the federal government is shortchanging it on funds it needs to operate tribal health services.
The case turns on whether the Indian Health Service should reimburse the tribe's overhead costs for health services it delivers with the support of third-party insurers, like Medicaid or private insurance. In the case of the San Carlos Apache, that amounted to $3 million in overhead expenses over a three-year period, according to court documents.
The IHS claims it already pays tribe...
