Bookmark & ShareAmerican Indian Health Commission for Washington State (AIHC): The Commission consists of federally recognized tribes and urban Indian programs authorized under Title V of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act located in Washington State. The Commission seeks consensus and guides the state of Washington regarding the collective needs of the tribal governments and other individual American Indian people to assure quality and comprehensive heath care to all American Indians and Alaska Natives in Washington State. The Commission does not circumvent the sovereign authority of tribal governments; its objective is to seek unity among American Indian/Alaska Native health care providers.
Basic Health (BH): A state-sponsored program administered by HCA that provides affordable health care coverage to low-income Washington residents through private health plans.
Basic Health Advisory Board: As provided for in RCW 70.47.040(3), the Basic Health Advisory Board is appointed by the HCA Administrator. The board consists of representatives of health care professionals, health care providers, and those directly involved in the purchase, provision, or delivery of health care services, as well as consumers, and those knowledgeable of the ethical issues involved with health care public policy. Committee members are reimbursed for travel expenses pursuant to RCW 43.03.050. The current Basic Health Advisory Board tribal representative is Cindy Lowe, Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe. Ms. Lowe also serves as Vice Chair of the American Indian Health Commission for Washington State.
Community health clinic: Specific to CHS, a community health clinic means a public or private nonprofit tax exempt corporation with the mission of providing primary health care to low-income individuals at a charge based upon ability to pay.
Community Health Services (CHS): A program within the HCA that promotes access to quality and affordable health care for the uninsured, underinsured, and tribes. This program is not related to federal Contract Health Service (CHS) dollars, which are appropriated through the Indian Health Service.
Consultation: Respectful, constructive communication in a cooperative process that works toward a consensus before a decision is made or an action is taken. Consultation is a process, not a guarantee of agreement on outcomes. Consultation requires an enhanced form of communication that emphasizes trust and respect. It requires a shared responsibility that allows an open and free exchange of information and opinion among parties that leads to mutual understanding and comprehension.
Contract Health Services (CHS): Indian Health Services funds for services not available from IHS or tribal health clinics or programs that may be purchased from private providers. Specific guidelines and eligibility requirements of tribal status/affiliation are necessary.
Coordination and Collaboration: Working and communicating together in a meaningful government-to-government effort to create a positive outcome.
Federally Recognized Tribes: These are self-governing American Indian and Alaska Native governments that are recognized under applicable federal and common law. Because of their unique sovereign status, Federally Recognized Tribes have the inherent power to make and enforce laws on their lands, and to create governmental entities.
Financial sponsor: Individuals, organizations, or agencies that help an individual or family apply for Basic Health, and pay all or a portion of their premium. See Tribal Sponsor.
Government-to-government: The relationship between tribes and the federal government. It is also used to describe other relationships and protocols between tribes and other governments, like states.
Health Care Authority (HCA): An executive cabinet level health care agency that oversees Basic Health (BH), Community Health Services (CHS), Health Insurance Partnership (HIP), Health Technology Assessment (HTA), Prescription Drug Program (PDP), Public Employees Benefits Board (PEBB) programs, Public Employees Health Plans (PEHP) , and Washington Wellness (WW).
Health Care Policy (HCP): Health Care Policy formulates agency health care policy, provides data-driven research on emerging health care policy issues, and develops evidence based strategies through collaboration with other state and private health care purchasers, health care providers, and carriers.
Health Services Account (HSA): The health services account is created in the state treasury. Funds in the account may be expended only for maintaining and expanding access to health services for low-income residents, maintaining and expanding the public health system, maintaining and improving the capacity of the health care system, containing health care costs, and the regulation, planning, and administration of the health care system.
Health Technology Assessment Program (HTA): The Health Technology Assessment is an innovative program that determines if health services used by state government are safe and effective.
Prescription Drug Program (PDP): The Prescription Drug Program has developed several tools, established discount card programs, and pooled resources with other organizations to provide information and programs that serve the residents of Washington and their current needs for prescription drug purchasing assistance.
Public Employees Benefits Board: The Board, created within the HCA, establishes eligibility requirements and approves plan benefits of all participating health care organizations. The board has nine members appointed by the Governor, seven of whom are voting members. The two non-voting members will become voting members when school district enrollment in PEBB plans exceeds 12,000 subscribers.
Public Employees Benefits Board (PEBB) program: The PEBB program is administered through the HCA to provide health benefits and related insurance coverage to all eligible state and higher-education employees as a benefit of employment. In addition, K-12 school districts and employer groups may also apply to participate in PEBB plans. Passage of Senate Bill 5640 made it possible for tribal governments to apply to participate in PEBB insurance coverage for their employees under the same conditions as counties, municipalities, and other political subdivisions effective January 1, 2009.
PPO—Preferred Provider Organization: A type of health plan that has a higher level of coverage to enrollees who receive care from “preferred” or “network” providers. These providers have contracts with the PPO to see PPO enrollees for a lower charge in exchange for a higher volume of patients.
Treaty: A legally binding written agreement that affirms the government-to-government relationship between two or more nations.
Tribal sponsor: Tribes that sponsor tribal enrollees by helping them to apply for Basic Health and pay for all of a portion of their BH premium.
Trust responsibility: This references the unique legal status of American Indians to the United States. Trust responsibility is a legally enforceable obligation of the United States to protect tribal self-determination, tribal lands, assets, resources, and treaty rights, as well as carry out the directions of federal statutes and court cases.
Tribal sovereignty:American Indian tribes are recognized in federal law as possessing sovereignty over their members and their territory. Sovereignty means that tribes have the power to make and enforce laws, and to establish courts and other forums for resolution disputes. The sovereignty that American Indian tribes possess is inherent, which means that it comes from within the tribe itself and existed before the founding of the United States. Tribal sovereignty is not absolute, but rather is subject to certain limits resulting from the unique relationship of the tribes to the United States. Under federal law, tribes are said to retain all those aspects of the original sovereignty except aspects that have been given up in a treaty, taken away by an act of Congress, or divested by implication as a result of their dependent status. In addition to inherent sovereignty, tribal governments may also exercise authority delegated to them by Congress.
Key principles of sovereignty include:
- Tribal sovereignty is the right of tribes, as "domestic dependent nations," to exercise self-determination and the right to self-government, unless these powers have been modified by treaty or by an act of Congress. Sovereignty ensures control over the future of the tribes and encourages preservation of tribal culture, religions, and traditional practices.
- Tribes have the authority to, among other things, govern their people and their land; define their own tribal membership criteria; create tribal legislation law enforcement and court systems; and to impose taxes in certain situations.
Membership in a sovereign tribe is what distinguishes American Indians as a political group rather than solely an ethnic minority.
Urban Indian Clinic/Organization: A program that is funded by the Indian Health Service under Title V (Section 502 or 513) of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act.
Uniform Medical Plan (UMP): A self-insured, preferred provider health insurance plan available to public employees, both active and retired, and their dependents. It is administered by the HCA and designed by the PEBB program.
Washington State Sovereignty: Each state is a sovereign entity in our federal system and has governmental powers, except to the extent the state has agreed in our constitution framework, to the supremacy of federal laws and treaties.
Washington Wellness (WW): Washington Wellness is a program to make healthy choices easier for state employees, retirees, and their dependents; improve the productivity of state employees; and positively impact the medical cost trend of enrollees in state health plans.
