New Mexico Medicaid offers two separate ways to get traditional healing covered, and the New Mexico traditional healing benefits application form only comes into play for one of them. If you’re receiving care at a participating Indian Health Service or Tribal 638 facility, the facility bills Medicaid directly and you fill out nothing. If you want the separate cash benefit offered by your Turquoise Care managed care organization, you request that plan’s own short application form and submit it to the MCO.1New Mexico Health Care Authority. Traditional Health Care Practices
Who Can Apply
You must be enrolled in New Mexico Medicaid and be an American Indian or Alaska Native individual eligible for Indian Health Service. Both fee-for-service and managed care members can use facility-based traditional healing at participating IHS and Tribal 638 facilities. The MCO cash benefit, however, requires that you be enrolled with one of the Turquoise Care MCOs; Native Americans in New Mexico are not required to enroll in an MCO unless they need long-term care services, so if you’ve opted out you can still get facility-based care but not the cash benefit.2New Mexico Human Services Department. Turquoise Care NM Medicaid Managed Care Program
Have proof of tribal membership or IHS eligibility ready. A tribal enrollment or membership ID card, a Certificate of Degree of Indian Blood from the Bureau of Indian Affairs, tribal census records, or a letter on tribal letterhead confirming your affiliation will all work. The document should name the issuing tribe and confirm your enrollment or eligibility by name.
If You’re Using a Tribal Facility, There’s No Form
At a participating IHS or Tribal 638 facility, the facility handles billing directly to Medicaid. Get a referral from a healthcare practitioner and attend your appointment. No prior authorization is required, and services can be delivered in a clinic, home, ceremonial space, or by telehealth.1New Mexico Health Care Authority. Traditional Health Care Practices
Not every tribe has opted into the program yet, and Urban Indian Organizations are not included at this time. If your tribe isn’t participating, ask the New Mexico Health Care Authority’s Medicaid Tribal Liaison about the timeline before you assume you need to go the MCO cash route.
Getting the Application Form from Your MCO
Each Turquoise Care MCO runs its own traditional medicine benefit as a value-added service. The benefit is a direct payment, typically $250 to $300 per calendar year, that you can put toward traditional healing on your own terms. There is no single statewide form. You need the one from your specific health plan, which is printed on your Turquoise Care ID card.
The four Turquoise Care MCOs are Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Mexico, Molina Healthcare of New Mexico, Presbyterian Health Plan, and United Healthcare Community Plan of New Mexico.3New Mexico Health Care Authority. Turquoise Care Overview
Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Mexico
BCBS pays $250 per member per calendar year. There is no paper form to download. Call 1-877-232-5518 and request the Traditional Medicine Benefit; BCBS verifies your information over the phone. For general questions, Member Services is at 1-866-689-1523 (TTY: 711), and the Native American Advisory Board can be reached at 1-866-825-6034 or bcbs_ab@bcbsnm.com.4Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Mexico. Traditional Medicine Benefit for Turquoise Care
Presbyterian Health Plan
Presbyterian pays $300 per member per calendar year, January 1 through December 31. Apply online through Presbyterian’s application portal, or download and print the form from the Native American communities page and mail or fax it using the instructions printed on the form. Processing takes five to six weeks. To check status, call the Customer Service Center at 505-923-5200 or 1-888-977-2333. Children in state custody should apply through their PHP Care Coordinator rather than the standard form.5Presbyterian Health Plan. Turquoise Care for Native Americans
Molina Healthcare and United Healthcare
Benefit amounts and application details for Molina Healthcare of New Mexico and United Healthcare Community Plan of New Mexico were not available at the time of writing. Call the member services number on the back of your Turquoise Care ID card to request the traditional medicine benefit application and confirm the annual amount.
What to Have Ready Before You Fill It Out
Whichever MCO you’re with, gather these first:
- Your Turquoise Care ID card. The nine-digit Medicaid ID is on the front, and some forms also ask for the group number from the same card.6Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Mexico. Turquoise Care Sample ID Card
- Your full legal name, date of birth, and the mailing address where you want the check sent.
- Proof of Native American status: a tribal enrollment card, BIA Certificate of Degree of Indian Blood, or a letter from your tribe. Some MCOs verify this on their end rather than asking you to submit documents.
Most forms fit on a single page. Some ask you to briefly describe the traditional healing service you plan to use, such as a ceremony or a consultation with a healer. Fill every field. A blank line is the most common reason an application stalls.
After You Submit
Your MCO reviews your Medicaid enrollment and confirms Native American status. Presbyterian processes applications in five to six weeks.5Presbyterian Health Plan. Turquoise Care for Native Americans BCBS handles verification during the initial phone call and does not publish a separate processing timeline.4Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Mexico. Traditional Medicine Benefit for Turquoise Care If approved, a check is mailed to you.
Use the money only for traditional healing: ceremonies, consultations with healers, or related cultural practices. Using it for anything else can be flagged as fraud, waste, or abuse.4Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Mexico. Traditional Medicine Benefit for Turquoise Care The benefit resets each calendar year, so you can apply again starting January 1.
Where to Get Help
The New Mexico Health Care Authority’s Medicaid Tribal Liaison can answer questions about both the facility-based services and the MCO application process; contact information is on the HCA’s Traditional Health Care Practices page.1New Mexico Health Care Authority. Traditional Health Care Practices Each MCO also has tribal liaisons or Native American advisory staff. Ask your plan’s member services line to connect you if the form isn’t clear.