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Located on Capitol Hill, the National Indian Health Board is a dedicated advocate in Congress on behalf of all Tribal Governments and American Indians/Alaska Natives. We maintain a presence in the halls of Congress, working with representatives from across the country to achieve quality, lasting health care for tribal members.

In our efforts to secure quality health care we track legislation and regulations, lead discussions on health care reform, provide recommendations and analysis of the Indian Health Service budget and assist tribes in securing federal funding.

The NIHB Guide to Congress for 2009 [134 KB]

What's New?

November 27, 2012

NIHB Announces Indian Country Campaign to Stop Sequestration

The National Indian Health Board (NIHB) recently launched the Stop Sequestration Now campaign in Indian Country. The purpose of the campaign is to engage Tribes, Tribal organizations and supporters of American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) programs to communicate to Congress now about protecting the funding for Indian programs from sequestration.

Under the recently released Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Report to Congress, the entire Indian Health Service (IHS) budget is subject to an 8.2% cut. This across-the-board cut to the IHS budget would result in a loss of $356 million in funding for Indian Health programs. This cut translates into lost funding for primary health care and disease prevention services for AI/ANs. If sequestration occurs, the automatic cuts to federal funding for Indian health programs will have devastating consequences for Indian Country and adversely impact tribal efforts to address health challenges that affect AI/ANs. Sequestration will be triggered on January 2, 2013, if Congress does not enact legislation to stop sequestration.

NIHB has provided a sequestration fact sheet and a sample engagement letter that Tribes can modify and use as they contact their Congressional Members and urge them to take action to stop sequestration. NIHB continues to monitor the situation and will report new information as it develops.

NIHB Sequestration Fact Sheet (PDF)

Sequestration Call To Action Sample Letter

November 19, 2012

Presidential and Congressional Elections Results and Implications

On November 6, 2012, Barack Obama was reelected the 44th President of the United States. President Obama received 332 electoral votes (62 more than the 270 required to win the Presidency) and 51% of the popular vote. Several key “swing states” were crucial to President Obama winning reelection, including: Wisconsin, Colorado, Nevada, Ohio, Florida, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. President Obama will be sworn in for his second term on January 21, 2013.

The National Indian Health Board (NIHB) expects President Obama and his Administration to continue to be dedicated to a strong and progressive Tribal agenda in the second term. During his first term, President Obama signed into law several important pieces of Indian legislation including the permanent reauthorization of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act (IHCIA). This landmark piece of legislation was passed as part of the larger Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). With the reelection of President Obama, implementation of IHCIA and ACA is guaranteed to continue. NIHB will work diligently to ensure that the Obama Administration continues this commitment to assisting Indian Country with the implementation of ACA and IHCIA. (For more information about the election and ACA implementation, please see NIHB paper State Election Recap: Deadline for Health Insurance Exchange Decision Looms over the State.)...

NIHB Announces National Call-In Day Event in Support of SDPI

Read Full Legislative Action Alert (PDF)

Throughout the past year, the National Indian Health Board (NIHB) has stressed the importance of reauthorization of the Special Diabetes Program for Indians (SDPI). Next week, we need you to take action and speak up in support of SDPI.

On Wednesday, November 14th - World Diabetes Day - please join NIHB and Tribal communities from across the country in asking your Senators and Representatives to support renewal of SDPI this year! Congress will be back in session and we need to make sure that they renew SDPI!

As Tribal leaders in the diabetes community, we are notifying you in advance to help us spread the word about this critical call-to-action. NIHB will send out an Action Alert asking you to call your Members of Congress encouraging their support of SDPI. The Action Alert will provide information how you can contact Congress in this important call-to-action.

Should you have any additional questions or comments, please contact Jeremy Marshall, NIHB Senior Legislative Associate, at (202) 507-4078 or via email at Jmarshall@nihb.org.

NIHB Submits Statement on the Special Diabetes Program for Indians

August 24, 2012

On August 22, the National Indian Health Board submitted an official statement to the Senate Finance Committee in response to the August 8 Field Hearing at Crow Agency, MT, titled: Healing in Indian Country: Ensuring Access to Quality Health Care. The hearing was held at the All-Purpose Building in Crow Agency, MT.

The purpose of the Field Hearing was to address accessing quality health care in Indian Country. In addition to the tribal testimony provided at the Field Hearing, the statement highlights two additional recommendations: Special Diabetes Program for Indians (SDPI) reauthorization and protection of the Indian Health Service budget through any cuts enacted through the sequestration process next January.

The Field Hearing also examined the hurdles in providing and maintaining high-quality health care in Indian Country. Long-term underfunding, workforce shortfalls and technical concerns with facilities and equipment can cause conditions to deteriorate in hospitals. Tribal communities face challenges in meeting health needs as Indian Country explores what could be done to ensure better access to quality care.

The SDPI statement will be posted on the Senate Finance Committee website in the coming months as it becomes a part of the official record.

NIHB Field Hearing Statement on SDPI 8.22.12 (PDF)

NIHB Submits Comments on IHS-VA Draft Agreement Summary

On April 4, the National Indian Health Board (NIHB) submitted comments to the Indian Health Service (IHS) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) regarding the agencies’ draft agreement for reimbursement for direct health care services.

Click here to read the comments

NIHB Executive Director Testifies at House Interior Appropriations Hearing on FY 2013 Budget

On March 27th, NIHB Executive Director, Stacy Bohlen, served as a witness at the House Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies hearing on Native American Programs. Ms. Bohlen testified before Chairman Mike Simpson (R-ID), Ranking Member Jim Moran (D-VA), Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK), Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN), and Rep. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) on the President’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2013 Budget Request for the Indian Health Service (IHS). The President requested a $116 million or 3% increase to IHS, with targeted increases to Contract Health Services, Contract Support Costs, and staffing. NIHB requested that Congressional appropriators find additional, much-needed increases for IHS, ensuring that the final amount appropriated for FY 2013 is closer to the levels requested by the National Tribal Budget Formulation Workgroup.

To read Ms. Bohlen’s testimony, click here.

TRIBAL INTEREST IN SUPREME COURT HEALTH REFORM CASE
NIHB, and Tribes, Make the Case to Protect Indian-Specific Provisions

With 449 Tribes and Tribal organizations from across the nation, the National Indian Health Board (NIHB) filed an amicus brief to protect the permanent reauthorization of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act (IHCIA) and other Indian-specific provisions included in the ACA in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) case in the United States Supreme Court.

The Indian-specific provisions of the ACA are critical to the delivery of health care services to Indian tribes and their members. The IHCIA, originally enacted in 1976, forms the statutory basis for the delivery of health care to American Indians and Alaska Natives and plays a key role in addressing chronic health disparities in Indian Country. Tribal Leaders and advocates worked tirelessly for over a decade seeking the reauthorization of the IHCIA to update and modernize the Indian health care delivery system with much needed services such as expanded cancer screenings and long-term care for the elderly and disabled. Today, the Indian Health Service and Tribes have begun implementing many of these new IHCIA authorities and the other Indian-specific provisions in the ACA.

The brief argues that the Indian-specific provisions are separate from other provisions in the ACA and should stand on their own (i.e., are severable) even if the individual mandate provision is held to be unconstitutional. The brief describes Congress’s long-standing policy of enacting separate and unique legislation to govern Indian health care services and it provides a detailed analysis of the separate genesis of the IHCIA amendments and other Indian-specific provisions included in the ACA.

A determination by the Supreme Court that the entire ACA is unconstitutional would be a significant blow to Indian Country, requiring a new legislative effort to pass the reforms, and delaying the implementation of the vital programs and services that the ACA provisions authorized. Cathy Abramson, Chairperson of the NIHB Board of Directors, states, “NIHB and numerous Tribes and Tribal organizations decided to file the brief to demonstrate that Indian Country is firmly united to protect and preserve the IHCIA and other Indian-specific provisions in the ACA.”

On March 26th – 28th, the Supreme Court will hear ACA oral arguments, and on March 28th, the Court will hear arguments on the "severability" issue – whether the rest of the ACA, including the IHCIA and other Indian specific provisions, should remain intact if the individual mandate provision is struck down.

View AMICUS BRIEF (PDF)

NIHB Celebrates the 2nd Anniversary of Health Care Reform

Click Here for more information (PDF)

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Legislative Inquiries:

NIHB Legislative Director
Jennifer Cooper, JD, MPA

926 Pennsylvania Ave, SE
Washington, DC 20003
Phone: 202-507-4070
Email: JCooper@nihb.org