"The United States' historic relationship with the peoples who were here first is not a source of pride. Advertisement

To the contrary, it's more a story of tragedy and shame.

Our purpose today, however, is not to recount the long roller-coaster-ride nature of that relationship, but rather to highlight the latest plunge on the track: Congress' failure, again, to pass a comprehensive Indian health bill.

Except to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past, there's no point belaboring how we got here; the point is how abysmally Indians are faring under the present setup.

Death rates among Native Americans — on and off of reservations — are disproportionately high in many areas, from accidental injury to diabetes, cardiovascular disease to suicide.

Many reasons for this have been reported, and one of the most important is the woeful inadequacy of Indians' access to health care."

Get the Story:
Editorial: Next Congress must improve Indian health provisions (The Great Falls Tribune 12/3)

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Obama's support sought for Indian health bill (12/1)
Tribes look forward to Daschle's role in health care (11/21)
Congress fails to pass critical Indian health care bill (10/13)