Keel applauds Congress for improvements to IHS

WASHINGTON – March 22, 2010 – Jefferson Keel, President of the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), released a statement today applauding the U.S. Congress for passing health care reform that includes much needed improvements to the Indian health system. “As American Indian and Alaska Native people, we know, more than most, that health care reform is long overdue. Indian people have been waiting for over a decade for reauthorization of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act - Indian Country's health care bill. Yesterday's vote represents a moment of celebration for Indian Country and recognizes the importance of tribes in delivering health care to our people."

"The Indian health care system is the first point of contact for many of our people to get the care they deserve in some of the most remote communities in the country. The inclusion of Indian Health Care Improvement Act in the Nation’s health care reform legislation reaffirms the country’s trust responsibility to provide health care to Indian people.”

“The bill passed by the House of Representatives yesterday has many improvements for the Indian health system. It is not perfect, but it is a much needed step toward improving the health of our people. The Indian Health Care Improvement Act has been made a permanent law of the land thanks to the dedication of tribal leadership, the relentless efforts of the National Steering Committee on the Reauthorization of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act, and to our many partners and champions in Indian Country, the U.S. Congress and the Administration."

With passage of the health care reform bill and the Indian Health Care Improvement Act, Indian Country's health care delivery system will see:

New long-term care services, including home health care, assisted living, and community-based care.
Additional mental and behavioral health services, including programs for suicide and domestic violence prevention.
Mammography and other cancer screening consistent with the screening recommendations of the United States Preventive Services Task Force.
Additional programs for health care facility construction, including demonstration programs for modular component construction and mobile health stations.
New grants to prevent, control and eliminate other communicable and infectious diseases in addition to tuberculosis, including hepatitis and HIV.
Indian Country is included in many of the other, non-Indian Health Care Improvement Act sections of the health reform bill. These improvements will include:

Indian health provider protections.
The exclusion of qualified Indian health benefits from being treated as gross income.
Exemption of American Indians and Alaska Natives from individual penalties and cost sharing.
In Sunday’s vote, the House agreed to the Senate amendments made last December to H.R. 3590, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Section 10221 of the final bill incorporates the provisions of S. 1790, the Indian Health Care Improvement Act Amendments, as that bill was approved by the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, also last December.