House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Minority Leader John Boehner need to hear Indian Country supports HR 1328, the reauthorization of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act (IHCIA).   Calls made to Senate offices in support of S 1200 jammed phones lines and ensured passage of the IHCIA on the Senate side. We need Tribal leaders, Tribal members and friends of the IHCIA to show the same support for the House bill.

We need Indian Country to inundate Speaker Pelosi and Minority Leader Boehner’s office with faxes of a letter of support of HR 1328. The National Indian Health Board (NIHB) has crafted a generic letter for you to use. Please feel free to tailor the letter to the health issues of your tribal community and let the Speaker know why reauthorization of the IHCIA is important to your community.

Faxing letters to the Speaker Pelosi and Minority Leader Boehner is the easiest way to express your opinions. Please fax the letter to each of the offices beginning May 5^th and if possible, fax subsequent letters at least once a week. The House will be on recess beginning May 23^rd – we need these letters faxed before then.

The Speaker’s fax number is 202-225-4188 and Minority Leader’s fax number is 202-225-5117. Please fax a copy of the letter to your Representative as well.

Please remember to call the offices of Speaker Pelosi and Minority Leader Boehner to make sure your fax was received.  Please call the Capitol switchboard main number:

1-800-828-0498 and ask to be connected to the Office of the Speaker or the Office of the Minority Leader. Confirm that your fax was received and that the House leadership will move HR 1328 to the House Floor immediately after June 6^th.  

In order to track the number of letters sent to the Hill, please fax or email a copy to the NIHB, c/o Kraynal Alfred, Legislative Assistant, at kalfred@nihb.org or 202-507-4071 (fax number).

NIHB Chairman Sally Smith in her letter to Chairman Dingell and Ranking Member Barton, wrote:

“the Hyde-like amendment is an unnecessary provision which co-opts an important debate about health care for AI/ANs. Indeed it injects an inflammatory, polarizing issue into a debate about comprehensive health care for AI/ANs. The amendment should not be allowed to distract from the important issues before the House; such as, the reauthorization of the IHCIA. Indian Country has been working for almost ten years to reauthorize the IHCIA. The NIHB implores all Members of the Energy & Commerce Committee to not allow this issue to derail our bill.”

Click the following links to read Chairman Smith’s letter to House leadership and obtain a copy of other Federal laws with the codified Hyde Amendment.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Adam McMullin at 202-466-7767 or amcmullin@ncai.org
Darren Thompson at 202-466-7767 or dthompson@ncai.org

House Energy & Commerce Committee Continues to Sit on Desperately Needed Bill

WASHINGTON—April 25, 2008— Today marks the one year anniversary that the Indian Health Care Improvement Act (IHCIA) has been sitting in the Energy & Commerce Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives. Several months ago, the U.S. Senate passed the reauthorization of the IHCIA sending optimism to Indian Country that health care will finally be brought into the 21st Century, but today Native Americans are still waiting on the House.

“The United States has a longstanding trust and treaty responsibility to provide adequate healthcare to our people and it’s about time that Indian Country has its health care modernized,” said National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) President Joe A. Garcia. “With the U.S. Senate’s overwhelming support of the reauthorization of the IHCIA, Indian Country is surprised the bill is still lingering in Speaker Pelosi’s House of Representatives.”

Native Americans continue to rank on the bottom of nearly every single indicator of good health. The life expectancy for males in the U.S. is 75 years. On the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota it is 56 years, lower than Haiti where it is 58 years. Natives also face dramatically higher diagnosis and death rates from chronic illnesses such diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.

The IHCIA will modernize and improve Indian health care services and delivery; provide the basic tools to address the overall health of our communities; help us address problems of teen suicide and methamphetamine abuse; and allow for in-home care for our elders.

“This one year anniversary is not a day to celebrate. Tribal leaders, tribal members, and friends of Indian Country continue to do all we can to move this legislation forward. NCAI and NIHB reach out to Speaker Pelosi for her help to break this gridlock in the Energy & Commerce Committee and hold the Committee to their new June 6, 2008 deadline.”

Request for Participation - Deadline: June 19, 2008

Indian Health System Partners

I am pleased to announce an opportunity for participation in the expanded Innovations in Planned Care for the Indian Health System Collaborative (IPC II). Please review these materials carefully and consider participating in this groundbreaking work.

The Aim of the Chronic Care Initiative and the IPC-II collaborative is to support community and individual wellness and strength and reduce the prevalence and impact of chronic conditions. I am proud of what the original 14 IPC sites have accomplished in the past year, adapting the Care Model and using rapid cycle improvement methodology to chart a new course in care.

Now we have an opportunity for additional sites to join the IPC collaborative, refining the work of the past year and building the foundation for an Indian Health System with a focus on the patient, family, and community at the center of care and the improvement skills and tools to make this vision a reality.

I recognize that not all sites will be prepared at this point in time for participation in IPC II. This work requires IHS, Tribal, and Urban Indian sites with a high degree of readiness and the will to drive fundamental change in their health program. Programs that do not participate in IPC II will have the opportunity to join the Chronic Care Initiative readiness learning community launching this spring.

I encourage IHS, Tribal, and urban Indian health programs to consider participation in IPC II. This work, part of the integrated initiatives in Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, Behavioral Health, and Chronic Care, is critical to the health and wellness of American Indian and Alaska Native people. I look forward to the innovative work you will do together over the next year.

Robert G. McSwain
Acting Director
Indian Health Service

On April 9th, Buford Rolin, Chairman of the Poarch Band of Creek Indians and Vice-Chairman of the National Indian Health Board (NIHB), testified as a witness before the House Committee on Natural Resources regarding H.R. 5608, a bill to establish a meaningful consultation and collaboration with tribal officials in the development of Federal policies by the Department of Interior (DOI), Indian Health Service (IHS) and the National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC).


There were two panels testifying on H.R. 5608. The first panel consisted of government witnesses and the second panel consisted of tribal witnesses. Government witnesses included James Carson, Associate Deputy Secretary of DOI, Philip N. Hogen, Chairman of NIGC and Robert McSwain, Acting Director of IHS. In addition to Chairman Rolin, the Committee heard testimony from tribal witnesses: Dr. Joe Shirley, Jr., President of the Navajo Nation, and Gerald Danforth, Chairman of the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin.

On April 2, 2008, Robert “Bob” McSwain, Acting Director of the Indian Health Service (IHS), testified before the House Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee. Mr. McSwain was accompanied by four of his advisors: Dr. Richard D. Olson, Acting Director of the Office of Clinical and Preventive Services, Gary J. Hartz, Director of the Office of Environmental Health and Engineering, and Richard J. Turman, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Budget, Department of Health and Human Services. Rep. Norman Dicks (D-WA-6), Chairman of the Subcommittee, and Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R-KS-4), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee, were joined by Rep. James “Jim” Moran (D-VA-8).


In his opening remarks, Chairman Dicks recognized the 30 Tribal representatives who expressed anguish over the President’s FY 09 budget proposal during the Subcommittee’s Native American Public Witness Day held on March 12, 2008. Chairman Dicks quoted the Governor of the Pueblo of Acoma, Chandler Sanchez, “The Indian Health Service is dying a slow death from a 1,000 budget cuts.” Though Chairman Dicks acknowledged that IHS has never been funded adequately, Chairman Dicks stated emphatically that the FY 09 proposed budget is a very negative budget with negative impacts. In almost a rehearse fashion, Chairman Dicks asked Mr. McSwain, “Will the budget cuts result in 218,000 fewer outpatient visits? Will 9,000 fewer patients receive services from diabetes programs? Will 465 fewer patients receive dental services? Will 1,500 fewer patients receive mammogram screenings? Will 3,000 fewer patients receive cancer screenings?” Without disagreement or additional statements, Mr. McSwain answered, “Yes,” to each of the Chairman’s questions.

Senator Byron Dorgan, Chairman of Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, has announced that he is seeking Tribal comments and concerns regarding the Contract Health Services (CHS) Program. He plans to conduct a hearing on CHS in the near future. Please see the Dear Tribal Leader Letter and send in your comments.

Dear Tribal Leader Letter (PDF)

The Federal Regulations and Policy Analyst will be responsible for tracking, analyzing and reporting on current Medicaid & Medicare regulations and policies and advocate to improve programs and services for American Indian and Alaskan Natives (AI/AN). The Federal Regulations and Policy Analyst will be responsible for conducting analysis, reviewing and responding to regulations and preparing technical reports on key health issues, such as long term care, Elder issues, and developing strategic plans that improve the public health responsiveness of the Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services (CMS) for Tribal communities. Serving as the CMS Tribal Technical Advisory Group (TTAG) point of contact, the Federal Regulations and Policy Analyst will work with the CMS sub-committee strategic planning team to review and revise the CMS/TTAG 5-year strategic plan. The Federal Regulations and Policy Analyst will also analyze and report on long-term care issues among AI/AN Elders. Representing NIHB, the Federal Regulations and Policy Analyst will engage the AI/AN public on CMS issues by reporting technical findings at national conferences and working in concert with TTAG to develop a strategic plan report for revising CMS planning with Indian Country. This position invites creativity and is right for a strong, analytic writer who is well-organized and effective at public speaking.

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