Health | Opinion

Editorial: Pass Indian Health Care Improvement Act

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

"There is no plan guaranteed to cure the problems that plague many of this region's Indian reservations.

If somebody tells you they know just how to fix broken tribal government systems, create economic opportunities, solve a growing health care crisis and win the war on methamphetamine, run the other way.

But that doesn't mean we shouldn't work toward progress.

The Indian Health Care Improvement Act isn't a panacea, though the millions of additional dollars it authorizes for health care programs in Indian Country would be good news for the underfunded Indian Health Service.

An amendment to that bill authored by Sen. John Thune bears mentioning as well. If the Improvement Act passes, Thune's amendment would authorize an in-depth Government Accountability Office study of tribal justice systems in North and South Dakota.

For some tribes, an independent judiciary is little more than a pipe dream, and tools by which they are asked to police large geographic areas are inadequate."

Get the Story:
Editorial: Shore up Indian Health Service (The Sioux Falls Argus Leader 2/19)

Indian Health Care Improvement Act Amendments:
S.1200 | H.R.1328

White House Document:
Statement of Administration Policy (January 22, 2008)

Relevant Links:
National Congress of American Indians - http://www.ncai.org
Indian Health Service - http://www.ihs.gov
National Indian Health Board - http://www.nihb.org