Health Insurance Coverage in Indian Country

Guidance for health insurance coverage in Indian Country.

Issued by: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)

Issue Date: June 14, 2018

The American Community Survey (ACS) is an ongoing statistical survey under the auspices of the United States Census Bureau. It highlights information on a yearly basis about the United States and its people. The ACS provides estimates of the number of insured and uninsured American Indians and Alaska Natives (alone and in combination). The 1-year survey provides estimates with low error rates at a national level of analysis. This analysis provides cross tabulations by sex, access to IHS-funded health program, and those with Medicaid for the years 2012 and 2015. The analysis is built on the comparison between the 2 years to the variables of sex, access to IHS, and Medicaid coverage. An online data extraction application, Data Ferret, provided through the United States Census website, was used to download the ACS data for the charts below.

2012-2015 Summary: Changes in Insurance Coverage

The graph below shows changes in health insurance coverage among American Indians and Alaska Natives between 2012 and 2015. It displays data for the 20 states with the highest AI/AN populations with access to IHS.

Make a selection from the dropdown menu to see how rates have changed for American Indians and Alaska Natives with:

Health insurance
No health insurance
Medicaid coverage

Select an item from the dropdownPercent Change of Insured AIAN RatesPercent Change in Uninsured AIAN RatesPercent Change in AIAN Medicaid Coverage

Make a selection to compare health care trends from 2012 to 2015

2012-2015: Percent Change in AIAN Health Insurance Coverage

American Indians and Alaska Natives with Access to IHS

This graph shows the percentages of American Indians and Alaska Natives with and without access to IHS in 2015 for the 20 states with the highest AI/AN populations.

2015: With and without access to IHS

Map of Insured American Indians and Alaska Natives in States with Highest AI/AN Populations

This interactive map shows how the rate of American Indians and Alaska Natives with health insurance coverage changed from 2012 to 2015 within the 20 states with the highest populations of AI/AN people who have access to IHS. Select one of the highlighted states to see data for that state.

Zoom in or out to change the map area
Click on a state to see data for that state

Change in AIAN Insured Rates 2012-2015

Insured American Indians and Alaska Natives

This graph compares the number in the population of American Indians and Alaska Natives who had health insurance coverage in 2012 to those in 2015. View the national totals or use the drop-down menu to see numbers by state.

US TotalAlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareDistrict of ColumbiaFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWest VirginiaWisconsinWyoming

Select a state from the dropdown menu, and the graph will filter to show AIAN health insurance coverage by the selected state only. Select "US Total" from the dropdown to return to the national statistics

All Programs Map

Uninsured American Indians and Alaska Natives

This graph compares the number in the population of American Indians and Alaska Natives without health insurance coverage in 2012 to those in 2015. View the national totals or use the drop-down menu to see numbers by state.

Select a state from the dropdown menu, and the graph will filter to show AIAN health insurance coverage by the selected state only. Select "US Total" from the dropdown to go back to the graphical representation of the United States

All Programs Map

Medicaid Coverage Among American Indians and Alaska Natives

This graph compares the number in the population of American Indians and Alaska Natives covered by Medicaid in 2012 with those covered in 2015. View the national totals or use the drop-down menu to see numbers by state.

Select a state from the dropdown menu, and the graph will filter to show AIAN Medicaid coverage by the selected state only. Select "US Total" from the dropdown to go back to the graphical representation of the United States

All Programs Map

Insured American Indians and Alaska Natives without Access to IHS

This graph compares the rates of American Indians and Alaska Natives with health insurance coverage and no access to IHS in 2012 to those in 2015.

All Programs Map

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DISCLAIMER: The contents of this database lack the force and effect of law, except as authorized by law (including Medicare Advantage Rate Announcements and Advance Notices) or as specifically incorporated into a contract. The Department may not cite, use, or rely on any guidance that is not posted on the guidance repository, except to establish historical facts.