ALBUQUERQUE, NM — Access to health care for Native Americans and Alaska Natives will be strengthened with funding included in a massive government spending bill awaiting President Joe Bidenthe signature of
The U.S. House approved the measure on Friday, averting a government shutdown and providing more security for a federal agency that provides health care for more than 2.5 million people.
A coalition of lawmakers from Kansas, Arizona, New Mexico, California and elsewhere fought to include advanced appropriations for the Indian Health Service in the bill, marking a first for the chronically underfunded agency as a way to ensure services continue in case possible financing. interruptions.
With the legislation, IHS joins other federal health care programs that receive advance funding, including Medicare, Medicaid and the Veterans Health Administration.
“This will ensure that patients are not subject to the uncertainty of the government funding process, saving lives and creating stronger, healthier communities,” said Rep. Sharice Davids, D-Kan. “Along with increased funding for education, housing and economic development, this bill moves us closer to honoring our federal trust and treaty obligations to American Indian and Alaska Native communities.”
Rep. Raul Ruiz, D-Calif., said tribal health facilities are the primary source of health care for Native communities in his district. He called the inclusion of advance funding for IHS a historic step.
IHS, which operates two dozen hospitals and nearly 100 other clinics across the country, has repeatedly been the focus of congressional hearings and critical government reports calling for reform.
The House of Representatives’ Native American Congressional Caucus, in a letter sent earlier this month, urged the Biden administration, the IHS and tribal nations to work toward authorizing a move away from discretionary funding.
Lawmakers pointed to a 2017 report from the Government Accountability Office that showed that per capita spending for IHS fell by more than two-thirds of the $13,185 spent by Medicare. They said insufficient funding has led to persistent staff shortages, limited availability of equipment, extended wait times and other problems.
More recently, a GAO report released in March noted that outdated facilities, few inpatient beds and a shortage of health care providers made the agency’s response to coronavirus even more challenging pandemic.
IHS received more than $9 billion in funding for COVID-19 relief — which it used to address immediate and long-term needs — but some members of Congress have argued that the agency’s overall budget should meet current needs in tribal communities.
Advocates have also argued that every time Congress passes a continuing resolution to keep the government running, IHS must modify hundreds of contracts to match available funding.
During the recent government shutdown, the Indian National Urban Health Council noted that urban Indian organizations reported at least five patient deaths and significant disruptions in patient services as some clinics were forced to close their doors.
