Blackfeet tribe of Montana declares emergency over Medicaid scam that lured members to Arizona

BROWNING, Mont. (AP) — A widespread Medicaid scam that has left an unknown number of Native Americans homeless in metro Phoenix is being declared a public health state of emergency by the Blackfeet Nation of Montana after the Navajo Nation took similar action in June. The scam has left an unknown number of Native Americans homeless in the greater Phoenix area after Arizona’s Medicaid program suspended programs suspected of fraud. The former residents are from numerous tribes around the West who were lured to the Phoenix area with promises of addiction treatment they never received.