§ 1644.
Grants to and contracts with the Service, Indian tribes, tribal organizations, and urban Indian organizations to facilitate outreach, enrollment, and coverage of Indians under Social Security Act health benefit programs and other health benefits programs
(a)
Indian tribes and tribal organizations
The Secretary, acting through the Service, shall make grants to or enter into contracts with Indian tribes and tribal organizations to assist such tribes and tribal organizations in establishing and administering programs on or near reservations and trust lands, including programs to provide outreach and enrollment through video, electronic delivery methods, or telecommunication devices that allow real-time or time-delayed communication between individual Indians and the benefit program, to assist individual Indians—
(1)
to enroll for benefits under a program established under title XVIII, XIX, or XXI of the Social Security Act [
42 U.S.C. 1395 et seq., 1396 et seq., 1397aa et seq.] and other health benefits programs; and
(2)
with respect to such programs for which the charging of premiums and cost sharing is not prohibited under such programs, to pay premiums or cost sharing for coverage for such benefits, which may be based on financial need (as determined by the Indian tribe or tribes or tribal organizations being served based on a schedule of income levels developed or implemented by such tribe, tribes, or tribal organizations).
(b)
Conditions
The Secretary, acting through the Service, shall place conditions as deemed necessary to effect the purpose of this section in any grant or contract which the Secretary makes with any Indian tribe or tribal organization pursuant to this section. Such conditions shall include requirements that the Indian tribe or tribal organization successfully undertake—
(1)
to determine the population of Indians eligible for the benefits described in subsection (a);
(2)
to educate Indians with respect to the benefits available under the respective programs;
(3)
to provide transportation for such individual Indians to the appropriate offices for enrollment or applications for such benefits; and
(4)
to develop and implement methods of improving the participation of Indians in receiving benefits under such programs.
(c)
Application to urban Indian organizations
(2)
Requirements
The Secretary shall include in the grants or contracts made or provided under paragraph (1) requirements that are—
(A)
consistent with the requirements imposed by the Secretary under subsection (b);
(B)
appropriate to urban Indian organizations and urban Indians; and
(C)
necessary to effect the purposes of this section.
(d)
Facilitating cooperation
(e)
Agreements relating to improving enrollment of Indians under Social Security Act health benefits programs
(f)
Definition of premiums and cost sharing
In this section:
([Pub. L. 94–437, title IV, § 404], as added [Pub. L. 96–537, § 6], Dec. 17, 1980, [94 Stat. 3176]; amended [Pub. L. 102–573, title IV, § 403], Oct. 29, 1992, [106 Stat. 4566]; [Pub. L. 111–148, title X, § 10221(a)], Mar. 23, 2010, [124 Stat. 935].)