Gov. Brian Schweitzer signed an agreement with the Chippewa Cree Tribe on Thursday that will allow a local official on the Rocky Boy's Indian Reservation to determine if tribal members are eligible to get Medicaid.
It's the first such agreement signed in Montana and one of the first in the nation involving Medicaid, the federal program that provides medical assistance for low-income people.
Both state and tribal officials say the change will make it more comfortable for low-income tribal members to seek benefits to which they're entitled.
"Tribal people often don't know how to jump through the bureaucratic hoops, yet being denied access to Medicaid can be disastrous to them and their families," said Jonathan Windy Boy, a state legislator and member of the Chippewa Cree Tribal Business Council, before the ceremony. "We want to simplify the process and make it more user friendly by having our tribal members deal with somebody they know, not strangers."
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