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Posted April 18, 2021
NIHB Chairman William Smith Testifies before the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs
On April 14, the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs held a hearing on "Examining the COVID-19 Response in Native Communities: Native Health System One Year Later." National Indian Health Board Chairman William Smith of the Valdez Native Tribe testified. Visit the Committee website for the full hearing recording. Read NIHB’s written testimony here.
Posted April 18, 2021
NIHB Joins NCAI Infrastructure Letter to Congress
On April 13, 2021, the National Indian Health Board (NIHB) joined 29 other Tribal organizations in a letter led by the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) outlining the immediate infrastructure needs in Indian Country in response to President Biden’s March 31 announcement of the $2 trillion American Jobs Plan. The letter was submitted to all Congressional committees of jurisdiction, Congressional leadership, and the White House.
NIHB’s asks focused on healthcare facilities infrastructure, public health infrastructure, Tribal health workforce development, and funding and implementation of unfunded provisions in the Indian Health Care Improvement Act. This includes full funding of the Indian Health Service (IHS) at $48 billion, over $31 billion for healthcare facilities construction, $10 billion for a non-competitive Tribal graduate medical education program, a $6 billion Tribal set-aside for medical residency programs, $3 billion for electronic health records and health information technology modernization, and $2.3 billion for Tribal public health infrastructure.
As Congress and the Biden Administration draft the $2 trillion American Jobs Plan, NIHB continues to advocate for further investments in the Indian health system. The full inter-organization letter can be read here.
Posted April 18, 2021
NIHB Comments on OMB's Tribal Consultation Plan
On April 9, the National Indian Health Board (NIHB) submitted comments to the Office of Budget Management (OMB) on the recent Tribal consultation that took place on April 2nd and 5th regarding the development of the OMB’s new Tribal consultation plan. Some highlights from these comments include the need for Tribes to request consultation with OMB at any time, the need for OMB to sporadically measure how well other federal agencies are honoring the trust responsibility, the need for top level leadership at OMB to be accessible to Tribal leaders, and the need for OMB to work with Tribes and federal agencies to determine the correct amount of funding being offered with the most sufficient distribution method for Tribes. Overall, NIHB’s comments expressed the specific need of a government-to-government relationship that OMB should strive for when creating policy and legislation pertaining to Tribes and Tribal citizens.
Posted April 13, 2021
President's Fiscal Year 2022 Budget Request: Indian Health Summary
On April 9, President Biden's discretionary budget request for Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 was released to Congress. The budget request proposes $769 billion in non-defense discretionary funding, which is a 16% increase over the FY 2021 enacted level, and $753 billion for national defense programs -- a 1.7% increase. Additionally, the request includes $131.7 billion for the Department of Health and Human Services, a $25 billion or 23.5% increase from the 2021 enacted level. Later this spring, the Administration intends to release a detailed version of the budget request.
The National Indian Health Board (NIHB) compiled the Indian Health provisions included across several agencies within the President's proposed budget request.
Posted March 23, 2021
National Indian Health Board Outlines Tribal Heath Priorities in Testimony on the Year-in-Review of COVID-19
On March 23, the National Indian Health Board (NIHB) Chairman William Smith testified before the House Natural Resources Subcommittee for Indigenous Peoples of the United States on "A Year in Review: The State of COVID-19 in American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian Communities—Lessons Learned for Future Action." Chairman Smith identified several policy priorities needed to help American Indian and Alaska Native communities protect and prepare for the COVID-19 pandemic, including full funding for the Indian Health Service (IHS), investing in water and sanitation infrastructure and expanding telehealth and behavioral health support.
Read the full press release
Posted March 16, 2021
NIHB Congratulates Congresswoman Deb Haaland on Confirmation as Secretary of the Interior
The National Indian Health Board (NIHB), a national Tribal organization representing the best health interests of American Indians and Alaska Natives, offered the following statements from NIHB Board of Directors Chairman William "Bill" Smith and NIHB CEO Stacy A. Bohlen on the Senate confirmation of Congresswoman Deb Haaland as Secretary of the Interior.
Read the full press release
Posted March 12, 2021
The U.S. Senate Passes the American Rescue Plan Act
On Saturday, March 6, the U.S. Senate passed their version of the American Rescue Plan (ARP), the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package, along a party-line vote 50-49. The Senate’s version is expected to pass the House of Representatives later this week and be signed into law by President Biden no later than Sunday, March 14. NIHB is excited that our recommendations to the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs were heard and the Tribal provisions were not changed from the House of Representatives version of the ARP.NIHB
Download NIHB's Analysis of American Rescue Plan
Posted March 8, 2021
National Indian Health Board Releases 2021 Legislative and Policy Agenda, Roadmap for Biden Administration
The National Indian Health Board (NIHB) released its annual Legislative and Policy Agenda listing Tribal health-related administrative and legislative requests for 24 issues areas ranging from COVID-19 response and recovery and increased telehealth capacity to full funding for the Indian Health Service and improving water and sanitation infrastructure as an integral public health measure. The NIHB Board of Directors adopted the Agenda along with a Roadmap for the Biden Administration on February 26, 2021.
NIHB’s 2021 Legislative and Policy Agenda highlights that the COVID-19 pandemic brought with it a disproportionate impact on American Indian and Alaska Native people and illuminated many of the disparities Tribes experience, which have led to worse COVID-19 outcomes.
NIHB’s Roadmap for the Biden Administration to Advance American Indian and Alaska Native Health and Public Health focuses on six areas: Supporting the Government to Government Relationship, Supporting Tribal Sovereignty, Supporting Workforce Development, Studying and Addressing Long-Term Issues and Pressing Problems, and Advancing Legislative Priorities.
Read the full press release.
Posted March 4, 2021
Federal Agencies Announce Tribal Consultations following President Biden's Executive Order
President Biden’s January 26, 2021 “Memorandum on Tribal Consultation and Strengthening Nation-to-Nation Relationships” is intended to strengthen the government's relationship with Tribes while encouraging federal agencies to consult with Tribes on all issues that impact Tribal Nations.
In March, several federal agencies that directly impact Tribal health are holding Tribal consultation sessions and/or have deadlines related to their Tribal consultation plans. This includes the US Department of Health and Human Services, Federal Emergency Management Agency, US Department of Agriculture, and the Environmental Protection Agency.
Click here to view the full schedule and comment deadlines.
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