NALU June 13, 2008: Urge House to Vote on Indian Health

Please contact your representative today and urge her or him to call for a vote on the reauthorization of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act (H.R. 1828). < >

The bill is ready for floor action, but the House leadership is delaying a vote. The bill has cleared three committees in the House. After a successful campaign by Native American leaders and ally groups, the Senate bill passed in February.

Reauthorizing the bill, which would modernize health programs, is the top legislative priority of Indian Country. Tribes have been working for over a decade for passage; this year, they have almost succeeded. We urge your advocacy.

Background:

Better medical care for Indian families is a matter of public interest and moral concern. The United States signed treaties promising health care in perpetuity to Native Americans in exchange for land or the laying down of arms. This country needs to honor those 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. Great disparities exist between the health conditions and health care of Native Americans and others. Also, as public health professionals point out, diseases do not stop at the perimeters of tribal lands. Protecting the health of every population in this country protects all other residents.

Why the Bill Is Needed

  • The infant mortality rate is 150 percent greater for Indians than for Caucasians.
  • Indians are 2.6 times more likely to be diagnosed with diabetes.
  • Life expectancy for Indians is nearly 6 years less than the rest of the U.S. population.
  • Suicide for Indians is 2 1/2 times higher than the national average.
  • Indians have fewer mental health professionals available to treat them than does the rest of the U.S. population.
  • U.S. health-care expenditures for Indian men, women, and children are less than half of what the government spends on the health of federal prisoners.

What the Bill Does

  • It establishes objectives for addressing health disparities between Indians and non-Indians in the United States.
  • It enhances the ability of Indian Health Services and tribal health programs to attract and retain qualified Indian health-care professionals.
  • It provides innovative mechanisms for reducing the backlog in health facility needs.
  • It establishes a continuum of integrated behavioral health programs - both prevention and treatment - to address alcohol and substance abuse problems, as well as the social service and mental health needs of Indian people.
  • It helps bring health care delivery in Indian communities into the 21st century.

Find out more about the bill.