KNBA Morning Newscast for Friday July 17, 2015
Medicaid expansion will pay for more travel for Native health care beneficiaries
By Daysha Eaton, KYUK
Alaska Governor Bill Walker made the announcement that he would be moving ahead with Medicaid expansion at the Alaska Native Tribal Healthcare Consortium in Anchorage, Thursday.
"This is the final this option for me. I've tried everything else. And one thing people have to learn about me, I never give up and I won't give up, and it's good for Alaskans,” said Walker.
The Governor said he expects the expansion to be finalized by Sept. 1st or sooner. Medicaid is the federal program that helps pay for health care for the poor, administered by the states.
Walker says he expects 20,000 working Alaskans to sign up under the expanded healthcare program. Former Gov. Sean Parnell opposed expansion of Medicaid and the Alaska Legislature did not advance efforts this year.
Department of Health and Human Services Commissioner, Valerie Davidson says there’s a common misconception that the federal government pays 100 percent of healthcare costs for Native beneficiaries.
“The federal government actually requires them to seek third party reimbursement and that includes Medicaid, Medicare, private insurance, military coverage, to be able to make up that difference. And so Alaska Native people, and veterans – people who access healthcare services, are like other citizens in our state are entitled to enroll in Medicaid,” said Davidson.
Dan Winkelman is the CEO of the Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation, in Bethel. He says YKHC covers emergency travel for healthcare, but not travel for other medical reasons.
“Almost in every single village that I met with, either with the tribal council or patients or my staff, there was always someone who was denied access to healthcare because they couldn’t afford to get to a higher level of care because they couldn’t afford the airfare. Now, with Medicaid expansion, Medicaid is going to be able to help with travel assistance for those people who need a higher level of care,” said Winkelman.
Winkelman says over a thousand YK Delta Native health care beneficiaries could be eligible for Medicaid under the expansion. Alaska is the 30th state to accept Medicaid expansion.
APRN reporters, Alexandra Gutierrez and Jeremy Hsieh contributed to his story
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World Eskimo-Indian Olympics underway in Fairbanks
By Dan Bross, KUAC
The World Eskimo Indian Olympics are underway in Fairbanks. The annual showcase of traditional games of strength, endurance and skill require a high degree of athleticism, but as KUAC’s Dan Bross reports, it’s not all about competition.
The events contested at the World Eskimo Indian Olympics seem very contrived to the uniformed spectator.
“It’s not everyday that you just jump over a stick and kick it back with your toes.”
That’s 19 year old WEIO competitor Autumn Ridley of Anchorage talking about the Toe Kick event she won Wednesday, a challenge WEIO vice chair and announcer Sanford Strange traces to a real life arctic survival skill.
“This game helps you to be light and fast to simulate jumping across ice flows. You have to be light and quick to jump across ice flows,” said Ridley.
The Toe Kick is one of 20 WEIO competitions, which also include the gravity defying high kick and painful ear pull.
“All these games are physically and mentally hard. You have to be pretty confident to execute,” said Ridley.
Many of the events contested at the World Eskimo Indian Olympics are also part of the biennial international Arctic Winter Games. With the 2016 games happening in Greenland next March, WEIO Chair Nicole Johnston says this week’s competition in Fairbanks takes on added significance.
“This event is like a qualification. And this is usually, the year before winter games we always have more athletes show up because they want to get their name in there,” said Johnston.
WEIO attracts Native athletes from around Alaska, and a few from outside the state. A 6-member contingent from Greenland includes a big-gunned competitor with high hopes for success.
“I’m going to do ten kinds of disciplines here. Some of them I’m good at. I won the gold medal in arm pull in Arctic Games before, so I’m hoping to win this time again.”
The Greenlanders say WEIO isn’t solely about competition, and that they’re also renewing friendships made at the last Arctic Winter Games, which were held in Fairbanks in 2014.
WEIO Competitors offer one another applause, high fives, and even advice, smiling whether they succeed or fail. WEIO Chair Johnston links that spirit to the cooperative ethic indigenous people traditionally relied on to survive.
“For your community to be successful, you needed to make sure that everybody could do their best or be their best,” said Johnston.
Johnston stresses that the completion is just one aspect of WEIO, which also includes a Native arts and crafts, dancing, food and a cultural queen pageant. WEIO continues through Saturday.