Osage Nation employees enjoy the start of Employee Appreciation Day July 14. Photo by Shannon Shaw/Osage News

[Editor's note: This story was modified on Sept. 9 for clarification purposes.]

By Benny Polacca
Osage News

FAIRFAX, Okla. – Osages living on the tribe’s reservation tend to have “poorer health” statuses than their fellow tribal citizens living elsewhere, according to the results of a health survey in which more than 6,000 Osages participated earlier this year.

The survey – titled “Health of the Nation: Reservation at Risk” – questioned 9,850 Osages when applications for the $500 Health Benefit Card were mailed out this past spring. The survey was conducted by Fairfax-based Paradox Consulting LLC which is operated by Dr. Joe L. Conner (Osage) and his wife Dr. Carol Nice Conner.

The questionnaire polled Osages about their health history, demographics and income with 6,602 filled-out surveys returned which is a 67 percent response rate.

According to the survey results released in July, 25.1 percent of Osages living on the reservation rated their general health as fair or poor. That’s 10 percent greater than the 14.5 percent of the U.S. population with citizens rating their health as fair or poor in 2009. In Oklahoma, 19.5 percent of the state’s population also rated their general health as fair or poor last year.

“The local area is significantly at risk, people can get sick,” Joe Conner said of the survey which indicates obesity, smoking (which could lead to respiratory problems) and depression are health dangers associated with many of the survey takers.

Poorer qualities of health can shorten a person’s life span, Carol Conner said adding those who report fair-to-poor health statuses could have “a significant medical event in the next year” such as a heart attack or stroke, for example.

In comparison with other fellow tribal citizens, 14.4 percent of Osages living in Oklahoma (outside the reservation) rated their health as fair to poor and 12.5 percent of out-of-state Osages did too.

The survey also reports that poverty rates for Osages living on the reservation are higher than those not living there with 21.5 percent living in poverty compared with the United States rate of 10.3 percent. “Poverty extracts its effects on the health of populations in many different ways,” the survey reports, listing examples such as “fewer dietary and exercise opportunities that help maintain healthy lifestyles” and “less access to routine preventative health measures.”

“The health status is also reflected in very high rates of obesity and diabetes,” according to the survey which notes the “reservation rates of obesity are higher than any comparable rate in the U.S. Mississippi leads the U.S. with a rate of 32.8 (percent), while the reservation rate is almost 35 percent, a full 5 percent higher than Oklahoma’s.”

The diabetes rate on the reservation is more than double the U.S. rate with 20.7 percent of Osages reporting they have been diagnosed with diabetes and the U.S rate is 8.3 percent. Over 13 percent of Oklahoma Osages not living on the reservation reported being diagnosed with diabetes and the same rate for out-of-state Osages is 9.6 percent.
Joe Conner said officials with Indian Health Service have described the survey as “the largest survey of a single tribe” when it comes to health matters.

“The (2006) Constitution requires the tribe to provide health services and ‘prevention of illnesses and chronic disease, and of services that promote mental and physical well-being,’” Carol Conner said. “That’s part of why we did this (survey). You have to know the health status before you provide services.”

The percentage of Osages living on the reservation who have been diagnosed with heart disease is also double the rate of non-reservation Osages with 11.3 percent reporting a diagnosis and 5.7 percent for Oklahoma (non-reservation) Osages and 5.1 percent for those living out-of-state. The U.S. rate for heart disease is 3.8 percent, the survey states.

When it comes to high blood pressure, 35.4 percent of reservation Osages reported being diagnosed with it. The rates for other Osages were slightly lower with Oklahoma (non-reservation) Osages at 29.9 percent and out-of-state Osages at 25.3 percent.

Also noted in the health survey:

Just over 18 percent of reservation Osages report being treated for depression which is nearly three times the U.S. rate at 6.7 percent.

Thirty-five percent of reservation Osages report they smoked within the last 30 days, which is higher than the U.S. rate of 21 percent. Twenty-six of Oklahoma (non-reservation) Osages reported they smoked in the last 30 days and the rate is 19.3 percent for out-of-state Osages.

When it comes to binge drinking, 14 percent of reservation Osages report drinking five or more alcoholic drinks on one occasion in the last 30 days which is one point higher than Oklahomans (in general) at 13 percent. Men on the reservation are more likely to have binged (17 percent) than women (10 percent).

The average age of the survey takers was 44.6 with 45.4 percent being males and 54.5 female. The average number of people living in the household was 2.7.

Out of the total number of survey takers, 17.2 percent of reservation Osages completed the health survey; 32.8 percent (non-reservation Oklahoma Osages); 49.7 percent (out-of-state Osages); and 0.17 percent (Osages living outside the United States).

“Of the 6,602 adult Osage citizens, 18 years or older, who completed the survey, 17.2 percent or 1,135 live on the reservation, meaning a significant majority of nearly 60 percent of adult Osages living on the reservation completed the survey,” Conner said. “From previous studies it has been found that there are 1,700 to 2,000 adult Osages who live on the reservation.”

The average income of a survey taker was $50,878.84 but the poverty rates for reservation Osages is higher than those living off-reservation. Twenty-two percent of reservation Osages live below the poverty line set by the U.S. Census Bureau. “On the reservation, this represents 150 to 250 families living below the official poverty level. Some of these families are living on as little as $11,201 per year.”

More Osage women live in poverty than Osage men in all three areas listed in the survey. On the reservation, 24.8 percent of women live below the poverty line and the rate is 17.7 percent for Osage men on the reservation; for non-reservation Oklahoma Osages, 18.9 percent of Osage women live in poverty and 11.7 is the rate for men; and 14 percent of out-of-state Osage women live in poverty and the rate is 7.5 percent for out-of-state Osage males.

“Poverty is a terrible overriding issue that impacts health,” Carol Conner said. “If you got a job, you’re going to get up and go to work and less likely to smoke or sit on the couch,” she said of people tending to stay active while working. “On the reservation, economic opportunities are limited but if the tribe improves economic conditions there will be better opportunities for better health,” she said.

The average out-of-pocket cost for medical expenses for reservation Osages was $1,374; for non-reservation Oklahoma Osages, $1,468; and $1,843 for out-of-state Osages.

In the last year, just under 36 percent of Osages report having trouble paying for medical bills and of those who answered “yes” to this question, 36.4 percent are still paying on those bills.

Prescription medication and doctor visits top the list of out-of-pocket medical expenses incurred annually by all Osages with medicine costing an average of $500 per year and $300 for doctor visits.

In conclusion, the survey states: “many of the indicators of poor health, if not quickly reversed, cascade into other more serious problems. As an example, recent research shows that those who suffer from depression are more likely to suffer from dementia into their elderhood. Further, those with diabetes are also more likely to develop dementia.”

By Benny Polacca
Osage News

The Osage Nation Health and Wellness Advisory Board is planning to meet with government officials to discuss legislation which will lengthen its life. It’s slated to sunset at the end of September.

The board was created through a 2007 legislation bill to start developing the structure of the Nation’s Health and Wellness Division. But the bill (ONCA 07-59) states the board will be “disestablished after a period of three years from the effective date.” Former Principal Chief Jim Gray signed the bill on Oct.3 of that year after the Osage Nation Congress passed the bill with a 7-4 vote.

“The board was created as an advisory one,” said Dr. Ron Shaw, the health board’s chairman. He addressed several executive and legislative branch officials who attended the health board’s Aug. 9 meeting. That means the board’s duties which include making decisions on health-related matters are made as recommendations to government officials, he said.

The health board has hired two consultant organizations to work with the board during its tenure, Shaw said. One consultant evaluated the Health and Wellness Division recommendations compiled and the other consultant conducted a feasibility study on whether the Pawhuska Indian Health Service clinic should be compacted.

One recommendation raised in the IHS clinic compacting study is the Nation should create a governing board, “which is required for compacting,” Shaw said.

According to the study, said Shaw, the governing board should “evaluate and improve the quality of health services provided to the community, provide for meaningful financial resources for ongoing operations and capital needs, provide for the selection and retention of qualified staff – to include the special requirements for licensed and credentialed personnel, to plant programs for the health needs of the community.”

This is the board’s first gathering since the July 19 runoff election in which John Red Eagle was elected Principal Chief and Scott BigHorse Assistant Principal Chief.

BigHorse, who attended the meeting, recommended more meetings between the health board and government officials, including Red Eagle, to pursue legislation that could prolong the health board and possibly turn it into the governing board which would pursue further IHS clinic compacting efforts, according to the feasibility study recommendations.

Red Eagle was at a gaming commission meeting held at the same time of the health board gathering.

The health board also plans to meet with Congressional members who sit on the Congressional Committee on Health and Social Services which is scheduled to meet on Sept. 7. The chairman of that committee is Congressman Archie Mason and vice chairwoman is Congresswoman Alice Goodfox.

The Osage Nation is announcing a one time community challenge matching grant. The grant is for a maximum of twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) per community to encourage the development of permanent facilities for use by all Osage Reservation youth. This is to promote active lifestyles among reservation youth, aid in the prevention of diabetes or other diseases and to support the growth of our communities with the boundaries of the Osage Nation.

To be eligible for this grant applicants must be located within the physical boundaries of the Osage Nation, which includes the communities of Pawhuska, Wynona, Barnsdall, Avant, Skiatook, Prue, Osage, Fairfax, McCord and Shidler. (Osage County communities only), must be submitted by local community governments, community foundations, or recognized and established community organizations, and only monetary dollar for dollar donations will be matched. Donations of real estate or personal property cannot be counted as matching funds. (Funds to be matched may not originate from the Osage Nation Government, its entities, or its wholly owned businesses.)

For further information or to request an application packet please contact Lynette Miles at (918) 287-5383 or Otto Hamilton at (918) 287-5584.

Deadline for submission is August 27 at 4:30 p.m., there are no exceptions.

On July 6, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. there will be a Osage Home Health Governing Body Meeting at the Osage Home Health Office located at 128 E. 6th Street, Pawhuska, Ok.

Agenda

I. Call to order Cecelia Tallchief, RN

II. Approval of Agenda

III. Approval of Minutes (last meeting)

IV. Financial Report Jim Littleton
A. Financials
B. Account Balances
C. Billings/Collections

V. Operations/Old Business Cherie Leach, RN
A. Update on office lease & renovations
B. Census Report
C. Operational Activities
D. Introduction of Hospice RN - Beth Dahl

VI. New Business Teresa Hudgins, RN
A. Administrator Applicant

VII. Schedule Next Meeting Cecelia Tallchief, RN

VIII. Adjourn

By Shannon Shaw
Osage News

When Sandra Akins received her Health Benefit Card application in the mail, she experienced a mixture of emotions that ranged from relief to confusion. Inside the packet was a mandatory health survey that she had not been told about and didn’t feel comfortable filling out.

“Personal information is just that ‘personal’, and if I choose to freely give out information about any family member, or myself, it will be my choice not [the Nation’s], especially for the sum of $500,” Akins said. “There were no public discussions on [this] required information gathering.”

Akins, along with many others, were shocked to receive a mandatory two-page health survey that asks Osages for their medical history along with other questions such as what is their income. The language in the application said the surveys will remain anonymous. What has some Osages alarmed, such as Akins, is that the application doesn’t go into detail about what the survey will be used for and asks for their tribal roll number.

Matt McDonald, Executive Branch legal counsel, said the survey was drafted by Paradox LLC and that the contract is available upon request per the Open Records Act.

“The data obtained from the health needs questionnaire will provide a more definite picture of the individual health and medical needs of the Osage people,” McDonald said. “This information will be used to inform future programming decisions, spending priorities, and possibly legislation targeting the health needs of individual Osages.”

The survey results will be presented to the Osage people at a later date, McDonald said.

“The general statistical data, but not information from individual responses, will be presented to the Principal Chief as part of the contractor’s obligations,” McDonald said. “That general data will be accessible by the Osage people as part of a process to inform future programming decisions.”

During a congressional health committee meeting March 6, the committee asked Executive Branch representatives for a response in writing March 12 that states the Executive Branch’s official position on the survey. The health committee had been told by various Osages both in and out-of-state, that they were told the surveys weren’t mandatory and they wanted to be able to tell them a definite response. They also said that no where in the law did it say anything about a health survey requirement.

Hepsi Barnett, chief of staff for the Executive Branch, said that all Osages are encouraged to fill out what applies to them on the survey and return them with the health benefit card applications to receive their card or reimbursements for those Osages under 18. She also said that the Executive Branch would respond to the health committee after they received information from their contractors.

The health committee had not received a response from the Executive Branch office by the time the Osage News went to press on March 16.

Parents upset

Some Osage parents aren’t very happy they will have to pay their child’s medical expenses up front for their children to receive the $500 health benefit. Something that the Executive Branch office has said was part of the contract with Mutual Assurance Administrators, Inc. MAA was not willing to give debit cards to minors in case of fraud.

“I don’t understand why minors are not eligible to receive their own card? That is ridiculous!” said Osage tribal member Marjorie Williams. “Most individuals who work cannot afford insurance on their children, let alone pay for medical expenses - then wait to be reimbursed.”

Virginia Elsey, Director of the Osage Nation Counseling Center, addresses the crowd at the center’s annual “Girls Night Out” event on Feb. 18 in Pawhuska. Photo by Benny Polacca/Osage News.

By Benny Polacca
Osage News

LaVina Clark addressed a crowd during a recent Osage Nation Counseling Center event about dating violence when a cell phone rang several times belonging to a teenage girl seated in the audience.

“You don’t have to respond,” Clark said while standing over the girl’s shoulder and after the phone’s text message alert rang twice in less than a minute. “Who has gotten texts like this over and over and over again from your boyfriend?” asks Clark, who is the counseling center’s domestic violence administrator.

The girl says she is receiving messages from “Mr. Wonderful” who initially texts that “he misses you already,” but later asks “what’s wrong, why haven’t you texted me back yet?” after she fails to reply promptly. Soon “Mr. Wonderful” follows-up with more somber messages including: “Who are you talking to?” and “I guess you don’t love me now.”

This unfolding scene is a make-believe example set up by Counseling Center officials to illustrate what could occur in an abusive dating relationship during its second annual “Girls Night Out” event Feb. 18 in Pawhuska.

This year’s event theme is “He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not” and is being held in accord with February’s designation as National Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month. Law enforcement and counseling officials who work cases with domestic/ dating violence involved are advising the public to be aware that newer technologies that are popular among teenagers, like cell phones and Internet social networking sites, can also be used to harass and attack others.

Virginia Elsey, the counseling center’s director, says harassment via text messages can occur on both the male and female’s part in a relationship, which could lead to stalking.

“They push your buttons, that’s what they try to do to get a reaction out of you,” she said of potential abusers.

“Teens are at a high risk for intimate partner violence than adults,” Elsey said adding “females ages 16 to 24 are more vulnerable… than any other age group. One out of five female high school students report being physically or sexually abused by their dating partner.”

Osage County Sheriff’s Deputy Dale Hunter, who also spoke at the event, cited U.S. Department of Justice statistics which report 17.6 percent of U.S. women have survived a completed or attempted rape, of these 21.6 percent were younger than 12 and 32.4 percent were between ages 12 and 17.

Oklahoma State Parks officer Nick Connor, who joined Hunter, noted that online social networking sites, such as Facebook and MySpace, could be dangerous if someone is “friends” with someone who is obsessive. “Those are the worse things ever if stalkers use it to keep track of people.”

Hunter advises the best advice females can follow if they believe they are in danger of being attacked is to leave the situation or “run” because of the physical strength difference between females and males.

“You cannot fix a bad man, so forget it,” Hunter said. “If a man would beat you, it’s going to get worse. If he’d start out like that, it’s going to get worse.”

Hunter says one reason people should leave a potentially violent situation is because a person may experience an adrenaline rush which could work against the person if he or she doesn’t know how to react.

“The effects of adrenaline can be devastating especially if you’re not prepared for it,” Hunter said adding personal defense techniques can backfire if used improperly or at a slow rate.

If people do choose to carry weapons (mace, Tazers, guns, etc.) for self-defense, Hunter advises people should learn how to use them. “Make sure you know how to use them, especially a gun.”

Teen dating violence not only occurs in physical assault form (hitting, slapping and spitting, for example), but it can also strike victims verbally, emotionally, sexually and even financially where the abuser steals money “in order to control the other person,” said Elsey, a domestic violence survivor who has worked at the counseling center since 2002.

Elsey advises people to be aware of warning signs of a relationship which could become abusive.

The potential abuser may engage in verbal attacks, name-calling and tell the other person “no one else will date you,” she said.

The person may also: blame the victim for a situation; break or hit personal items, check up on the person constantly; isolate the other person from family and friends; be over sensitive (cry and beg to keep the relationship); and show jealousy and possessiveness “so you’re the center of their attention.”

“You have to look at this relationship,” Elsey said. “Is it healthy? Do you feel good about it? You have to look at it and see the warning signs… there’s help out there.”

For more information about dating violence visit the Counseling Center’s Web site at www.osagetribe.com/counseling. The center’s 24-hour crisis line can be reached toll-free at (866) 897-4747.

People attending the counseling center’s “Girls Night Out” event listen to local law enforcement officers about the dangers of dating violence on Feb. 18 in Pawhuska. Photo by Benny Polacca/Osage News

Osage County Sheriff’s Deputy Dale Hunter (left) and Oklahoma State Parks Officer Nick Connor discuss what people should do if they are in a situation involving domestic violence at the “Girls Night Out” event hosted by the Osage Nation Counseling Center on Feb. 18. Photo by Benny Polacca/Osage News

A sign showing the departments located in the old Superintendent's house next to the Executive Branch building on the Osage campus. Photo by Chalene Toehay/Osage News

By Shannon Shaw
Osage News

Osages don’t have to wait any longer. The Health Benefit Card applications for the $500 debit card will be mailed out next week.

“I am happy to report that the applications for the Osage Nation Limited Health Benefit Plan have been finalized and sent to the printer, and all the agreements submitted for our review have been signed,” said Matt McDonald, Executive Branch legal counsel. “We anticipate that the applications will be mailed out some time next week.”

All Osages over the age of 18 are eligible for the $500 health benefit card as long as they have an Osage Nation membership card, not to be confused with a CDIB card, which is a certificate of degree of Indian blood. All Osages under the age of 18 are eligible for a $500 reimbursement and won’t be receiving a card.

“All paper claims [for minors] will be on a reimbursement basis, to prevent fraud. What MAA wants to insure is that the funds are actually being used for the child,” said Hepsi Barnett, Executive Branch Chief of Staff in a previous Osage News story. “In order to receive a reimbursement check the tribal member will submit documentation, the service provider, the amount paid and a description of services provided.”

Parents will be asked to provide documentation that reflects the expenses incurred were medical, McDonald said.

“Specifically, I was told that credit card statements or a copy of a check would not be sufficient,” McDonald said in a previous Osage News story. “However, most service providers should be able to issue a detailed statement of services that would satisfy these requirements.”

“In the case of vendors, a sales receipt will likely suffice, particularly if paired with verifying information such as a prescription slip,” McDonald said. “Once documentation has been received, reimbursement checks should arrive within 7-10 business days.”

The Osage News requested a copy of the contract between the Nation and MAA from the Chief’s Office Feb. 9 but has yet to hear a response.

Currently the Osage Nation has 18,149 active CDIB holders and 11,767 active membership card holders, according to the Nation’s CDIB office. Having a membership card gives a person access to all the benefits the Nation provides such as the $500 health benefit card and Osage Nation scholarships. A CDIB card is issued by the Bureau of Indian Affairs and states how much Osage blood a person has.

The applications will be mailed to the address that the Nation’s CDIB office has on file for each tribal member. Once tribal members receive their applications they are to fill them out and send them back to MAA, not the Nation. Once MAA receives the completed application they will process it and send the tribal member an encoded debit card worth $500.

The debit card allows payment for all items that the Internal Revenue Service considers tax-deductible medical expenses. The debit card covers most medical expenses except for abortions, which the Osage Nation Congress declined to fund.

Some of the items on the IRS-approved list includes eyeglasses, dentures, braces, wheelchairs, alcoholism treatment, insulin treatment, surgery (except cosmetic procedures), hearing aids, medical transportation expenses, prescription costs, some over-the-counter drug costs, vaccines, X-rays, home repair if medically needed and other items. Reimbursement for eligible medical expenses will also be available.
Osages must spend the entire $500 by the end of the calendar year—there is no carryover of unspent funds to the next year. However, Osages can reapply for subsequent years as long as funding is available.

The Osage Nation Congress passed the $5.1 million health benefit plan that will provide Osages everywhere with a $500 medical debit card in the 2008 Tzi-Zho session. Applications will be accepted throughout the calendar year.

To update your address with the CDIB office, call (918) 287-5390. For more information about the $500 health benefit card, call Constituent Services at (918) 287-5662.

To view a list of IRS-approved tax-deductible medical expenses click here:
Health Expenses Eligibility List

A sign showing the departments located in the old Superintendent's house next to the Executive Branch building on the Osage campus. Photo by Chalene Toehay/Osage News

By Shannon Shaw
Osage News

After several months of delay, Osage Nation Principal Chief Jim Gray’s office said that the applications for the Health Benefit Card will arrive in Osage mailboxes the end of this month.

“The delay in the applications was caused by a last-minute notification by the third-party administrator, MAA [Mutual Assurance Administrators], that the Nation would be required to enter into an additional agreement to facilitate the distribution and processing of the debit cards,” said Matt McDonald, Executive Branch legal counsel. “The Nation and MAA have been working on this project since September, and it was not until December that we were made aware that this additional agreement would be required.”

“Negotiations over that agreement concluded this week and we anticipate that it will be executed in the next [nine] days,” he said.

McDonald did not say what the actual additional agreement was that MAA required.

Congressman William “Kugee” Supernaw, who was against the health benefit card and an Executive Branch critic, had his own spin on the situation, using the delay in applications to promote his per capita payment legislation. He blames the application delay on high operating expenses and that there have been numerous problems with the program.

“The expense of operating and maintaining this program just keeps piling up and the overhead associated with delivering a maximum of a $500 benefit is going through the roof,” Supernaw wrote in a Feb. 3 e-mail newsletter. “That’s one of the main reasons I proposed a $500 per capita payment to everybody, the expense would be minimal compared to the debit card.”

“This is still in committee and will be brought forward under the new administration this year,” wrote Supernaw.

Gray’s office couldn’t disagree more.

“Congressman Supernaw’s statements are completely false; there has not been a ‘piling up’ of expenses and overhead,” McDonald said. “The total administrative cost of the Osage Nation Limited Health Benefit Plan will be 6 percent of the total appropriation, which is well within the 10 percent limit established by Congress in the Health Benefit appropriation.”

“The taxes that would be incurred as a result of a per cap, coupled with the administrative cost of distributing such payments, would far exceed what we have spent on administration of the Health Benefit Plan,” he said.

Requirements to receive card

All Osages over the age of 18 are eligible for the $500 health benefit card as long as they have an Osage Nation membership card, not to be confused with a CDIB card, which is a certificate of degree of Indian blood. All Osages under the age of 18 are eligible for a $500 reimbursement and won’t be receiving a card.

“All paper claims [for minors] will be on a reimbursement basis, to prevent fraud. What MAA wants to insure is that the funds are actually being used for the child,” said Hepsi Barnett, Executive Branch Chief of Staff. “In order to receive a reimbursement check the tribal member will submit documentation, the service provider, the amount paid and a description of services provided.”

Parents will be asked to provide documentation that reflects the expenses incurred were medical, McDonald said.

“Specifically, I was told that credit card statements or a copy of a check would not be sufficient,” McDonald said. “However, most service providers should be able to issue a detailed statement of services that would satisfy these requirements.”

“In the case of vendors, a sales receipt will likely suffice, particularly if paired with verifying information such as a prescription slip,” McDonald said. “Once documentation has been received, reimbursement checks should arrive within 7-10 business days.”

The Osage News requested a copy of the contract between the Nation and MAA from the Chief’s Office but has yet to hear a response.

Currently the Osage Nation has 18,149 active CDIB holders and 11,767 active membership card holders, according to the Nation’s CDIB office. Having a membership card gives a person access to all the benefits the Nation provides such as the $500 health benefit card and Osage Nation scholarships. A CDIB card is issued by the Bureau of Indian Affairs and states how much Osage blood a person has.

The applications will be mailed to the address that the Nation’s CDIB office has on file for each tribal member. Once tribal members receive their applications they are to fill them out and send them back to MAA, not the Nation. Once MAA receives the completed application they will process it and send the tribal member an encoded debit card worth $500.

The debit card allows payment for all items that the Internal Revenue Service considers tax-deductible medical expenses. The debit card covers most medical expenses except for abortions, which the Osage Nation Congress declined to fund.

Some of the items on the IRS-approved list includes eyeglasses, dentures, braces, wheelchairs, alcoholism treatment, insulin treatment, surgery (except cosmetic procedures), hearing aids, medical transportation expenses, prescription costs, some over-the-counter drug costs, vaccines, X-rays, home repair if medically needed and other items. Reimbursement for eligible medical expenses will also be available.

Osages must spend the entire $500 by the end of the calendar year—there is no carryover of unspent funds to the next year. However, Osages can reapply for subsequent years as long as funding is available.

The Osage Nation Congress passed the $5.1 million health benefit plan that will provide Osages everywhere with a $500 medical debit card in the 2008 Tzi-Zho session. Applications will be accepted throughout the calendar year.

To update your address with the CDIB office, call (918) 287-5390. For more information about the $500 health benefit card, call Constituent Services at (918) 287-5662.

To view a list of IRS-approved tax-deductible medical expenses click here:
Health Expenses Eligibility List

The Osage Tribe is evaluating the health services of the tribe. We welcome and need your input. Adeline Yerkes, RN, is conducting the evaluation. She will be conducting the interviews about the health services. The interviews will be held confidential, will collect information only on the services, and will take no more than 10 minutes of your time.
Interviews will be held the following dates, times, and places:
*Feb. 1 at the Pawhuska Community Building (Wakon Iron Hall) from 11:30 a.m. to
1:30 p.m. and from 4-6 p.m.
*Feb. 2 at the Fairfax Fitness Center from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and from 4-6
p.m.
*Feb. 3 at the Hominy Fitness Center from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and from 4-6
p.m.
These dates and places are also dependent on the weather. An alternate date will be established if interviews cannot take place due to inclement weather.
Again, we need your input.

A sign showing the departments located in the old Superintendent's house next to the Executive Branch building on the Osage campus. Photo by Chalene Toehay/Osage News

Osage News

The health benefit card applications, which tribal officials hoped would arrive in mailboxes last month, are tentatively to be mailed out by the end of this month by Mutual Assurance Administrators, Inc.

The negotiations with MAA delayed the contract’s completion but MAA has since signed the contract and tribal officials are working with MAA to complete the applications as soon as possible, said Matt McDonald, Osage Nation Executive Branch legal counsel.

“The Nation is still on track to meet the deadline, and our office is working very diligently to avoid any delays,” McDonald said.

The applications will be mailed to the address that the Nation’s CDIB office has on file for each tribal member. Once tribal members receive their applications they are to fill them out and send them back to MAA. Once MAA receives the completed application they will process it and send the tribal member an encoded debit card worth $500.

The debit card allows payment for all items that the Internal Revenue Service considers tax-deductible medical expenses. The debit card covers most medical expenses except for abortions, which the Osage Nation Congress declined to fund.

Some of the items on the IRS-approved list includes eyeglasses, dentures, braces, wheelchairs, alcoholism treatment, insulin treatment, surgery (except cosmetic procedures), hearing aids, medical transportation expenses, prescription costs, some over-the-counter drug costs, vaccines, X-rays, home repair if medically needed and other items. Reimbursement for eligible medical expenses will also be available.

Osages must spend the entire $500 by the end of the calendar year, Dec. 2010—there is no carryover of unspent funds to the next year. However, Osages can reapply for subsequent years as long as funding is available.

The Osage Nation Congress passed the $5.1 million health benefit plan that will provide Osages everywhere with a $500 medical debit card in the 2008 Tzi-Zho session. Applications will be accepted throughout the calendar year.

To update your address with the CDIB office, call (918) 287-5390. For more information about the $500 health benefit card, call Constituent Services at (918) 287-5662.