(Santa Ana Pueblo, NM) – The Native American Housing and Self-Determination Act (NAHASDA), administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requires recipients of Indian Housing block grants to either protect Indian homes using commercial insurance or participate in a HUD approved plan of self-insurance operated and controlled by the recipient Tribes.

In 1986, 165 Indian Housing authorities made a major statement to the insurance community, by forming and funding their own self-insurance risk pool – AMERIND Indian Housing Block Grant Recipient Program (IHBGR Program).    At that time, the cost to protect Indian housing using AMERIND dropped from $30 million to less than $10 million.

Since 1986, participating Tribes have saved more than $200 million in direct insurance costs while recovering more than $200 million in damaged property.   

Today more than 400 Tribes participate in the IHBGR Program protecting more than 55,000 Indian homes totaling $7 billion in replacement value.

Successfully operating a risk pool for low income Indian families for more than 22 years, the success of the IHBGR Program is grounded in four (4) areas:

1.        Focus on protection Tribal sovereignty and the exercise of self-determination.

2.        Culturally sensitive to the varying needs, traditions, and customs of the communities served.

3.        Strong belief in “Tribes protecting Tribes, their employees and families”.

4.        Driven by consumer education rather than profit.

Tribes protecting their communities through the IHBGR program enjoy significant benefits:

a.        Indian Preference   - Multi-tribal owned and located at Pueblo of Santa Ana, NM

b.        25-50% cost savings.   The IHBGR program is tax exempt and free from onerous State insurance regulation.

c.         Full replacement cost for lost property – no dollar limits or co-insurance requirements

d.        No requirements to waive sovereignty

e.        Coverage that is flexible to meet the varying needs of Indian Country.