Mark Trahant: Delivering promises for Indian health care
Monday, March 22, 2010
Filed Under:
Health
|
Opinion
"The three most important things to know about what health care reform means to Indian Country are simple ideas. First, the United States, officially and permanently, recognizes its trust and treaty obligation for health care delivery to American Indians and Alaska Natives. Second, there will be more money (not enough, but more) pumped into the Indian health system. And, third, President Barack Obama has delivered on a major, long-sought promise to Indian Country.
Now let’s consider a few details.
When Medicare and Medicaid passed Congress in 1965 and were signed into law there was no consideration – none – of how those bills impacted Indian Country. It was as if the Indian Health Service, then all federal employees, was off the books, a forgotten instrument. In fact there wasn’t even a plan that allowed IHS to tap into Medicare or Medicaid dollars. That had to wait for the Indian Health Care Improvement Act of 1976.
That is not the case with President Obama’s health care reform. Indian Country is included throughout the document in large and small measures designed to improve the health of Native people.
The Indian health system, for example, is designated as an “express lane” to help people enroll in Medicaid. That should make it easier for that funding stream to supplement IHS appropriations. There are many other important programs in the final bill, ranging from new education and training programs to improved regulations for tribally managed health facilities.
The most important provision is the reauthorization of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act (after ten years of empty promises) as a title in the Senate health care package."
Get the Story:
Congress and President deliver on promises to improve Indian health system
(Mark Trahant 3/22)
Related Stories:
Mark Trahant: Health care reform vote as a
litmus test (3/15)
Mark Trahant: Facebook group
gathers IHS war stories (3/8)
Mark
Trahant: IHS not mentioned at Blair House summit (3/1)
Mark Trahant: Reaching consensus on Indian health
(2/22)
Mark Trahant: Alaska Natives
create a model system (2/15)
Mark
Trahant: Growing the IHS budget in tough times (2/8)
Mark Trahant: Transparency and Indian Health
Service (2/1)
Mark Trahant: Transparency
in health care reform bill (1/25)
Mark
Trahant: Starting over on Indian health reform bill (1/20)
Mark Trahant: IHS Director Roubideaux on passing
IHCIA (1/18)
Mark Trahant: Business
model for Indian Health Service (1/12)
Mark Trahant: Some resoluting on Indian tobacco use
(1/6)
Mark Trahant: IHCIA now a part of
Senate health bill (12/21)
Mark Trahant:
Projects improve Indian health care (12/14)
Mark Trahant: Work together for health care reform
(12/8)
Mark Trahant: Health care system
tied to economy (12/7)
Mark Trahant:
Health reform bill tests democracy (11/30)
Mark Trahant: Health reform boosts Indian Country
(11/23)
Mark Trahant: Health care reform
dead in Senate (11/17)
Mark Trahant: New
Republican 'interest' in IHCIA (11/2)
Rep.Hastings objects to IHCIA in health reform bill
(10/30)
Mark Trahant: Send Medicaid
funds right to IHS (10/29)
Mark Trahant:
Health care debate drags on and... (10/26)
Mark Trahant: Guaranteed rights to health care
(10/19)
Mark Trahant: Health care debate
not over (10/12)
Mark Trahant:
Effortless Indian Country care (10/5)
Mark Trahant: Tribal provisions in health reform
(9/28)
Mark Trahant: Taxation of tribal
health benefits (9/21)
Mark Trahant:
Indian Health Service paradox (9/17)
Mark Trahant: Indian exemption and insurance
(9/16)
Mark Trahant: Revive the public
health hospital (9/14)
Mark Trahant:
Grandma and health care reform (9/9)
Mark Trahant: Ted Kennedy steps aside for health
(8/31)
Mark Trahant: Tribes, IHS and
health coverage (8/25)
Mark Trahant:
Ideas for health care reform (8/17)
Mark
Trahant: Duality in Indian health care (8/10)
Mark Trahant: Health care from a different view
(8/4)
Mark Trahant: Indian businesses
and health care (7/28)
Mark Trahant:
First Americans are last in health (7/21)
Mark Trahant: Getting into Indian health reform
(7/14)
Mark Trahant: Lessons from Indian
Country health (7/10)
Mark Trahant: IHS
isn't broken, just underfunded (7/9)
Mark Trahant: Indian health care at the local level
(7/8)
Copyright © Indianz.Com
Subscribe