WHEREAS, the National Indian Health Board (NIHB), established in 1972, serves all federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) Tribal governments by advocating for the improvement of health care delivery to AI/ANs, as well as upholding the federal government’s trust responsibility to AI/AN Tribal governments; and

WHEREAS, the NIHB has a strong history of advancing the well-being of American Indian and Alaska Native people through the support of regulatory and Congressional action, advocacy for increased funding for healthcare in Indian Country, creation of national venues to discuss health issues, and creation of educational and programmatic materials for Tribal public health professionals; and

WHEREAS, Congress created Medicaid in 1965 as a public health insurance program to guarantee health care availability to impoverished Americans; and

WHEREAS, Medicaid currently covers nearly 90 million Americans, including 1.8 million American Indians and Alaska Natives, one in every four Native people; and

WHEREAS, Medicaid is a joint partnership between the federal and state governments, with the federal government enacting universal minimum services that must be covered and state governments deciding which services above the minimum are eligible for reimbursement; and

WHEREAS, the federal minimum dental health benefit for Medicaid enrollees provides dental benefits for Medicaid enrollees under the age of 21, but no minimum requirements for dental benefits for enrollees over the age of 21; and

WHEREAS, Medicaid coverage of dental insurance varies from state to state, with states offering comprehensive 35 adult dental benefits, 12 states offering only emergency adult dental benefits, and 3 states offering no adult dental benefit; and

WHEREAS, American Indian and Alaska Natives of all age groups have disproportionately high levels of untreated oral health decay; and

WHEREAS, oral health is intricately linked to overall health, with significant amounts of research pointing to connections between poor oral health and increased risk of heart disease, lung disease, stroke, and diabetes; and

WHEREAS, at the direction of the Tribes, NIHB has long supported legislative action to improve consistent quality oral health access among American Indians and Alaska Natives;