Editorial: Save urban Indian clinics from Bush cut

Thursday, March 22, 2007  

"The Bush administration made the decision several years ago to quit funding urban Indian health clinics. The reasons seemed to change every year -- and even Republican-controlled Congresses rejected such a drastic course.

But the idea won't die. The administration continues to submit budgets without dollars, hoping to win the debate by attrition.

That's not going to happen because it is clear that the federal government has a moral obligation. After World War II, the U.S. policy was to move American Indians off reservations and into cities. The "relocation" program is no longer in place, but tens of thousands of native people moved into cities, where now more than half of all American Indians live.

Urban Indian health clinics are important because they are effective. They serve a population with specific cultural needs; they are patients who would delay treatment, resulting in more emergency room visits or costly treatment in the later stages of a disease. The president's "zero" budget would cost significantly more money because the same patients would return to reservation clinics or show up in urban emergency rooms."

Get the Story:
Editorial: Indian Health Care: Save the clinics (The Seattle Post-Intelligencer 3/22)

House Bill:
Indian Health Care Improvement Act Amendments of 2007 (H.R.1328)

Relevant Documents:
Letter to President Bush | Letter to Alberto Gonzales | DOJ White Paper

Relevant Links:
Indian Health Service - http://www.ihs.gov
National Indian Health Board - http://www.nihb.org
National Council of Urban Indian Health - http://www.ncuih.org

Related Stories:
Kara Briggs: The fight to reauthorize IHCIA (3/21)
Urban Indians hurt by IHS policy in Montana (3/20)
Health care push continues at House hearing (3/19)
DOJ's Indian white paper a political whodunit (3/14)
House hearing on Indian Health Care Improvement (3/14)
Urban Indians under attack over health care (3/12)
Fireworks at Indian health care hearing (3/9)
Senate hearing on Indian Health reauthorization (3/8)
Urban Indians in New Mexico feel left out on health (3/8)
Some urban Indians denied care at request of IHS (3/8)
Indian Health Care Act introduced in House (3/7)
Hearings on Indian Health Care Improvement Act (3/5)
Democrats promise action at USET conference (2/14)
Harjo: GOP calls Indian health care 'race-based' (2/12)
Bush cuts funding for urban Indian clinics again (2/8)
Tribes forced to ration funds for health services (2/2)
Interview: Inadequate health care in Indian Country (01/16)
Joint hearing on Indian health care act postponed (11/14)
Final push for health care bill in 109th Congress (11/13)
White House hit over delays in health care and Cobell (10/05)
Still no Indian Health Care Improvement Act (09/22)
New Standard: U.S. failing to deliver health care (7/18)
Senate panel advances Indian health care measure (10/28)
Senate committee takes up slate of Indian bills (10/27)
Hearing on Indian Health Care Improvement Act (07/13)
Oklahoma senator loses Indian health care vote (06/29)