It's been incredibly difficult for the government to persuade Native Americans and Alaska Natives to use ObamaCare. One big sticking point: They're exempt from the tax penalties that other Americans are susceptible to if they fail to purchase health insurance, and thus seem to have little incentive to shell out for insurance upfront. In Alaska alone, there are more than 100,000 people who identify as Native American or Alaska Native, and just 115 of them have used the ObamaCare exchange to buy insurance.
The situation is further complicated by treaties between native tribes and the federal government, which already allocate federal funding to pay for many tribe members' health care. "[T]he perception is, 'Well, what's in it for me? Why would I get additional insurance?'" explains Andrea Thomas of the SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
The Onion is having a very ironic laugh with InfowarsThe Explainer The satirical newspaper is purchasing the controversial website out of bankruptcy
-
'Rahmbo, back from Japan, will be looking for a job? Really?'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
What's next for electric vehicles under Trump?Today's Big Question And what does that mean for Tesla's Elon Musk?
-
ACA opens 2025 enrollment, enters 2024 raceSpeed Read Mike Johnson promises big changes to the Affordable Care Act if Trump wins the election
-
McDonald's sued over E. coli linked to burgerSpeed Read The outbreak has sickened at least 49 people in 10 states and left one dead
-
Texas dairy worker gets bird flu from infected cowSpeed Read The virus has been spreading among cattle in Texas, Kansas, Michigan and New Mexico
-
Dengue hits the Americas hard and earlySpeed Read Puerto Rico has declared an epidemic as dengue cases surge
-
US bans final type of asbestosSpeed Read Exposure to asbestos causes about 40,000 deaths in the U.S. each year
-
Seattle Children's Hospital sues Texas over 'sham' demand for transgender medical recordsSpeed Read Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton subpoenaed records of any Texan who received gender-affirming care at the Washington hospital
-
Afghanistan has a growing female suicide problemSpeed Read The Taliban has steadily whittled away women's and girls' rights in Afghanistan over the past 2 years, prompting a surge in depression and suicide
-
US life expectancy rose in 2022 but not to pre-pandemic levelsSpeed Read Life expectancy is slowly crawling back up
