Eligibility

Eligibility criteria are xplained below. For questions about ELIGIBILITY or to update your personal information, such as changes in NAME, ADDRESS, or INSURANCE COVERAGE, please contact the REGISTRATION CLERK at (907) 886-4741.

Criteria

The Annette Island Service Unit provides health care services to eligible Alaska Natives and American Indians who have documented their eligibility as beneficiaries of the IHS. You are eligible if you meet the eligibility criteria listed below:

1. You are an Alaska Native or American Indian and have provided proof that you are a member of or descended from a federally recognized Indian tribe. Documents accepted as proof are a Certificate of Indian Blood from the Bureau of Indian Affairs and a membership card from a federally recognized Indian tribe.
2. You are a non-Native woman pregnant with the child of an eligible Alaska Native or American Indian. Care is provided to eligible non-Native women throughout the pregnancy and for six weeks after delivery.
3. You are an Alaska Native or American Indian eligible for direct services from the facilities in Metlakatla, from the Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium (SEARHC) Mt. Edgecumbe Hospital in Sitka, or from the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium providing you have submitted the required documents for eligibility.
4. You can receive direct care in the Annette Island Service Unit Outpatient Medical Clinic immediately provided that all required eligibility documents are on file, you have provided all insurance information and you have completed the registration process. The Annette Island Service Unit also will pay for IHS Contract Health Services at non-IHS health care facilities for all eligible residents. Contract Health Services include medical services such as labs, x-rays, private doctors, emergency room care, hospital admission and care and travel. To be eligible for Contract Health Services you must have resided on the Annette Islands Reserve for 180 days. To confirm your residency, you must provide rent receipts, utility receipts, paycheck stubs – or any document that will confirm that you are a resident of the Annette Islands Reserve.
5. If you do not have insurance you will be required to apply for Medicaid. Denali Kidcare Program is available for pregnant women and children. You must provide the letter of acceptance or denial from Medicaid. If you do apply for Medicaid, the Annette Island Service Unit will not pay your medical bills until you do so. All other resources such as insurance, Medicaid or Medicare must be used before Contract Health Care monies are expended. The Annette Island Service Unit is the "payer of the last resort". We are not an insurance company. We are an outpatient Indian Health Service (IHS) facility and must follow all IHS regulations.
6. The Annette Island Service Unit does not pay for mental health treatment or drug and alcohol treatment.
7. The Annette Island Service Unit pays for medical care and travel only per our contract. Only hospitals are authorized to pay for room and board for their patients.
8. The Annette Island Service Unit must be notified within 72 hours of an emergency room visit or admission to a hospital. The patient or family member must give all information so that it is documented in the patient's chart and a 72-hour notification form is completed. A referral form is then completed by a nurse or doctor. This requirement pertains to students and anyone who is traveling. If Annette Island Service Unit is not notified within 72 hours, the patient will be responsible for the medical bill.
9. College students attending school outside of Alaska may be eligible for Contract Health Services medical care in emergency situations. To be eligible, college students must provide a letter from the school’s registrar or admissions office that documents they are a full-time student. Annette Island Service Unit will not pay the medical bill until a letter is received that documents the student's full-time status.

To be eligible for services provided outside of the Indian Health Service system, you must be a resident of Metlakatla, Alaska.

Student Services

College students attending school outside of Alaska may be eligible for medical services in emergency situations. To be eligible, you must be enrolled as a full-time student at the time of the emergency, and you must notify the Annette Island Service Unit of the emergency within 72 hours of the incident. To access these services, you must submit the following information to the Annette Island Service Unit at the start of each school term:

1. A statement from the school's registrar or admissions office verifying that you are a full-time student.
2. Your date of birth, permanent address, Social Security number, and tribal enrollment.

This information should be sent to:

Contract Health Services Coordinator
Annette Island Service Unit
P.O. Box 439
Metlakatla, AK 99926

If you are living near another IHS medical facility, you will be expected to use its services.

The Annette Island Service Unit will pay for the evaluation and treatment of emergencies, including reimbursement for medications, but it is important to understand that these services are only for emergencies, which are determined by the medical providers at the Annette Island Service Unit. In some cases, a patient needing a non-emergency procedure or surgery may be transferred to an Indian Health Service hospital for the procedure.

Before you leave Metlakatla for college, SIGN UP with the Contract Health Services coordinator in the Annette Island Service Unit administration office or call (907) 886-6601.

Travel Outside of Metlakatla

If you are traveling outside of Metlakatla and you have a medical emergency, the Annette Island Service Unit will pay for medical services, including medications, for that emergency if there is not an IHS facility available where you are located and the medical services were provided for a true emergency.

Emergency care is defined as an acute medical condition that is sudden in onset, with severe symptoms that pose an immediate threat to life, limb, or organ.

The Annette Island Service Unit must be notified within 72 hours of the time emergency services began for payment to be authorized.

To notify the Annette Island Service Unit of emergency services within 72 hours, call during office hours: (907) 886-6601 or (907) 886-4741

Moving Away from Metlakatla

If you move to another part of Alaska, the Indian Health Service system will meet your medical needs where you live. However, you will no longer be eligible for Contract Health Services from the Annette Island Service Unit.

If you move to another state, Contract Health Services will pay for emergency medical care for 90 days from the date you leave. You must notify Contract Health Services within 72 hours of the time emergency medical care was initiated.

To notify the Annette Island Service Unit's Contract Health Services coordinator, call (907) 886-6601.