Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito questioned state attorneys about Native American ancestry as they hear a major case on affirmative action. Oral arguments began Monday in a case to determine whether colleges can continue to take race into consideration in the admissions process. Alito asked North Carolina Solicitor General Ryan Park — who is defending affirmative action policies at the University of North Carolina — what is preventing students from claiming heritage they don’t have. Park agreed that it would not make sense for a student to say they are of American Indian heritage if they are not.
Medicaid and Indian Health is on the South Dakota Ballot. Millions of dollars are at stake on Nov. 8th when South Dakota voters weigh in on Amendment D, a ballot measure to expand Medicaid. The big picture is that a “yes” vote for Medicaid expansion in South Dakota would bring millions of new dollars into the state and make healthcare more affordable for everyone. A Lakota person living in North Dakota who qualifies for Medicaid is likely to get a full range of healthcare services or even referrals to specialists. That same person, if living in South Dakota, is limited by what’s left in the I H S budget. Jerilyn Church, from Cheyenne River, is the chief executive officer for the Great Plains Tribal Health Board. She says this is still a “huge issue” in South Dakota because there is not enough funding for IHS. But in North Dakota there is another source of money, Medicaid. “They’re not dealing with those issues,” she said. She says “They’re seeing patients. Patients are getting referred out at every level.”
