There is much debate going on across this country regarding changes being proposed to create greater access (for poor to medium income folks) to affordable health. From the American Indian perspective, all this debate seems a bit irrelevant since the Indian Health Service (IHS) is the primary health care provider for Indian people who live on or near the reservation.

Here then, is some hopefully helpful information about the IHS according to Jack Utter’s, “American Indians — Answers to Today’s Questions.”

“The primary federal health resource for American Indians is the Indian Health Service (IHS). It is located within the U.S. Public Health Service, which is part of the Department of Health and Human Services. With a current annual budget of more than $2.2 billion, the IHS developed out very meager beginnings in 1954. At that time, Congress transferred the badly ailing Indian health program out of the BIA [Bureau of Indian Affairs] and into the Public Health Service. Improvement of amount and quality of medical service available to American Indians was the reason behind the transfer, and it worked. But, as with the BIA, the IHS has had its share of problems regarding waste, mismanagement, and fraud. (See also the IHS website, www.ihs.gov.)

“The Indian Health Service ... assists Indian tribes in developing their health programs through activities such as health management training, technical assistance, and human resource development.