Access to healthcare for Native Americans and Alaska Natives will be bolstered by funds included in a massive government spending bill awaiting President Joe Biden’s signature.
The US House of Representatives approved the measure on Friday, avoiding a government shutdown and providing more certainty to a federal agency that provides health care to more than 2.5 million people.
A coalition of lawmakers from Kansas, Arizona, New Mexico, California and elsewhere fought to include advance appropriations for the Indian Health Service in the bill, marking a first for the chronically underfunded agency as a way to ensure that services continue in the event of potential funding disruptions.
With the legislation, the Indian Health Service (IHS) joins other federal health care programs that receive funding in advance, 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,” Rep. Sharice Davids, D-Kan., said in a statement.
“Along with increased funding for education, housing and economic development, this bill brings us closer to upholding our federal trust and treaty obligations to American Indian and Alaska Native communities.”
Rep. Raúl Ruiz, D-Calif., said tribal health centers are the main source of health care for Native communities in his district. He called the inclusion of advance funds for IHS a historic step.
IHS, which runs two dozen hospitals and nearly 100 other clinics across the country, has repeatedly been the focus of congressional hearings and scathing government reports seeking reform.
The House Native American Caucus, in a letter sent earlier this month, urged the Biden administration, IHS and tribal nations to work to authorize a move away from discretionary funding.
The bill would also allow the government to issue work permits to millions of immigrants that would allow them to stay in the US temporarily.
The lawmakers pointed to a 2017 report from the Government Accountability Office that showed per capita spending for IHS trailed by more than two-thirds of the $13,185 spent by Medicare. They said insufficient funding has led to persistent staff shortages, limited equipment availability, long wait times and other problems.
More recently, a GAO report issued in March noted that outdated facilities, few hospital beds and a shortage of health care providers made the agency’s response to the coronavirus pandemic even more challenging.
IHS received more than $9 billion in COVID-19 relief funds, which it used to address immediate and long-standing needs, but some members of Congress have argued that the agency’s overall budget must catch up with real needs. of tribal communities.
Advocates have also argued that every time Congress passes a continuing resolution to keep government running, IHS has to modify hundreds of contracts to accommodate available funding.
During the latest government shutdown, the National Council for Urban Indigenous Health noted that urban indigenous organizations reported at least five patient deaths and significant disruptions to patient services as some clinics were forced to close their doors.
