Federal Medicare outreach grants send $174,880 to 10 Alaska tribal elder programs

Sixteen federal grants totaling $174,880 will pay for Medicare enrollment help for Alaska Native elders in communities from Point Hope to Ninilchik. Ten organizations share them.

The money comes from the Administration for Community Living, a subagency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, under the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act. All 16 awards are formula grants, not competitive ones. They run from Sept. 1, 2026, through Aug. 31, 2027.

The Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association in Anchorage, Bristol Bay Native Association in Dillingham and Chickaloon Native Village in Palmer each received $18,940, the largest awards in the Alaska group. Dena Nena Henash of Fairbanks received five separate awards totaling $45,190, made up of one $9,990 award and four awards of $8,800 each. Kodiak Area Native Association received three awards totaling $25,350, comprising two $8,800 awards and one $7,750 award. Arctic Slope Native Association, in Utqiaġvik, received $14,420. Denakkanaaga of Fairbanks and Ninilchik Village each received $8,800. The Native Village of Point Hope and the Seldovia Village Tribe each received $7,750, the smallest awards here.

The grants fund Medicare outreach, counseling and enrollment assistance. Under the agency's Title VI grant guidance, the money pays for "at least one community announcement and one community outreach event" to counsel eligible American Indian, Alaskan Native or Native Hawaiian elders on the Low-Income Subsidy, Medicare Savings Program, Medicare Part D and preventive screenings. The Low-Income Subsidy, also called Extra Help, cuts drug costs for people with limited income. Title VI aging programs deliver that outreach in rural and tribal communities, where distance limits access to enrollment help. The National Council on Aging said an early 2026 omnibus package extended MIPPA through 2027 at $50 million a year nationally.