January 2018

Established by the Tribes to advocate as the united voice of federally recognized American Indian and Alaska
Native (AI/AN) Tribes, the National Indian Health Board (NIHB) seeks to reinforce Tribal sovereignty,
strengthen Tribal health systems, secure resources, and build capacity to achieve the highest level of health
and well-being for our People. To advance the organization’s mission, the NIHB Board of Directors sets forth
the following priorities that the NIHB will pursue through its legislative and policy work during 2018.

Introduction

There is a special and political relationship between the United States and Tribes that creates a trust
responsibility to provide American Indians and Alaska Natives with access to and delivery of quality health
care. This special trust responsibility provides the legal justification and moral foundation for health policy
making specific to Tribes and American Indians and Alaska Natives. This obligation to carry out the federal
trust responsibility to Indians is rooted in the United States Constitution, treaties, judicial pronouncements,
Acts of Congress, Executive Orders, regulations, and the ongoing course of dealings between the federal
government and Indian Tribal governments. As such, it is firmly acknowledged that the federal government’s
obligation to carry out its trust responsibility applies to all departments and agencies of the federal
government.