Sociological theory and literature in the study of disparities in health and access to care in old age has, with few exceptions, not considered important political contexts for the aging AI/AN community. Political histories have unique implications for this population, and particularly those in old age. Native Peoples are affected by federal old age and health policies as well as AI/AN specific policies, which creates a unique intersection of inequality for this group. This project engages with three distinct areas of sociological scholarship in this area and works to highlight the strengths and gaps of existing frameworks to work towards more inclusive scholarship for Native Peoples in sociological scholarship. The first article uses a quantitative analysis using secondary data from the National Health Interview survey to explore how helpful sociological frameworks are in explaining health disparities in old age for the AI/AN population. The second article, using the same dataset, engages with Andersen's behavioral model of care utilization and its developments and couples it with important scholarship emerging about policy, AI/AN healthcare organization, and funding. The third article offers a qualitative analysis of reports and policy recommendations from Native organizations focused on increasing well-being for Native elders to further understand how healthcare, old age, and AI/AN specific polices work to create intersections of inequality for this group. This analysis further informs future directions for sociological theory and application to promote a more inclusive field in the sociology of aging and inequality. / Doctor of Philosophy / How policy impacts aging American Indian and Alaskan Native (AI/AN) has been largely overlooked in the field of sociology. Through three distinct studies, this dissertation project seeks to connect policy to disparities in health outcomes, issues in access to care, and the provisioning of health resources for this group. Native Peoples, through treaty agreements, have a right to healthcare, which has been poorly fulfilled by the US government. Because of this, Native Tribes and organizations have increasingly relied on other healthcare policies and social welfare programs to meet the needs of AI/AN elders. Policies like Medicare, Medicaid, and the Older Americans Act are all important policies in generating health resources for Native elders, but they also overlap in ways that can also create barriers to health equity. This project, in three articles, explores 1.) how policy-based resources affect health outcomes in old age across racial groups, 2.) how equitable healthcare access for the aging AI/AN population, and 3.) how organizations understand and navigate policy landscapes in order to promote health and well-being for Native elders. These three studies work together to inform theories of aging and health disparities in order to work towards scholarship that is more inclusive of Native Peoples.

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