NALU May 9, 2008: Urge Speaker Pelosi to Pass Indian Health
MESSAGE
The reauthorization of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act is urgent: the lives of over 1.9 million American Indians and Alaska Natives are at stake. Current health conditions, services, and facilities are totally inadequate. The health system must be modernized.
ACTION
The Senate has passed legislation, but action in the House is stalled. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (CA) has the power to change that situation. Urge the Speaker to push for quick passage of H.R. 1328. Unless the speaker puts her weight behind this bill the health improvement legislation might be dead and the success to date this year could go "down the drain."
Call the Speaker's office:
The phone number is 202-225-4965.
Ask for Chief of Staff John Lawrence.
Let him know you support the IHCIA (H.R. 1328).
Respectfully request the Speaker's support in passing the bill in the House.
Fax a letter of support for H.R. 1328 to Speaker Pelosi's office:
The fax number is 202-225-4188.
Or send a letter to your representative asking for action on H.R. 1328.
BACKGROUND
The United States signed treaties promising health care in perpetuity in exchange for land or the laying down of arms. Our country must honor these promises. But historic obligations are not the only concern. Congress has committed to a goal of reducing health disparities between people of color and others in the larger society. Public health professionals also note that diseases do not stop at the perimeters of tribal lands. Protecting the health of all groups in our country thus protects all other citizens.
The Indian Health Care Improvement Act was last reauthorized in 1992. Since then, the health care system in the United States has increasingly emphasized wellness and prevention. Many services are now provided outside of hospitals. Programs such as clinics, in-home health care for the elderly, long-term-care, and hospice are available in most communities. Yet services for Native Americans have not been expanded. American Indians and Alaska Natives - who often reside in the most isolated and poorest areas of the country - will benefit if they can receive health care on the same basis as the U.S. general population.
Read FCNL's letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi.