Waste of the Day: Medicaid’s Spiritual Healing
Topline: California is using federal Medicaid funds for Native American shamans to treat drug and alcohol addiction with drum circles, spiritual dances and herbal medicine.
The “Traditional Healers” program was first approved under President Joe Biden in October 2024 but continues today in 21 medical centers, according to an investigation by the Washington Free Beacon.
Shamans are reimbursed up to $801 for each “treatment.” One of the most recent contracts went to the Santa Ynez Tribal Health Clinic for $2.1 million in March.
The total dollar cost is unclear because the federal government’s Medicaid Open Data website has not been updated since the Traditional Healers program began. Open the Books has submitted a public records request for more financial details.
Key facts: Shamans receive payments from the State of California through the Traditional Health Care Practices program. The state is later reimbursed in full by Washington.
A training presentation for state employees explains, “Western mental health focuses on the individual as the locus of illness, while for American Indian/Alaska Native individuals, mental illness is just a symptom of a whole community that is suffering from its own history of oppression and violence.”
While the treatments may be “culturally appropriate,” there is little evidence that they effectively cure addiction. One study found that patients in Drum-Assisted Recovery Therapy were more likely to increase their alcohol consumption than sober up.
A state spokesperson told the Free Beacon they have no data showing whether the Traditional Healers program successfully treats addiction, but they plan to study it by June 2028.
The healers do not have to be licensed in the same way as other medical providers. A state spokesperson said that healers are "culturally defined and cannot be replicated through state licensing structures."
The Free Beacon reports that the Medicaid payments are part of California’s broader push to incorporate “indigenous knowledge” in other areas of government like wildfire mitigation, energy development, wildlife recovery and more.
Search all federal, state and local salaries and vendor spending with the world’s largest government spending database at OpenTheBooks.com.
Background: California spent $127.6 billion in federal and state money on Medicaid from 2018 to 2024, more than any other state except New York. The Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health billed more than any other healthcare provider in the country.
Summary: With debates over Medicaid constantly affecting legislation in Congress, funding should be spent only on medical treatments with a proven clinical benefit.
The #WasteOfTheDay is brought to you by the forensic auditors at OpenTheBooks.com
