Senate Passes Indian Health Care Bill
The U.S. Senate voted 83-10 to pass the Indian Health Care Improvement Act, a $35 billion piece of legislation that would improve improve IHS programs, health clinics on reservations and the number of Natives in health professions during the next 10 years.
Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., drafted the bill with the late Sen. Craig Thomas, R-Wyo., and told The Associated Press that the act is a move toward addressing the health crisis in Indian Country and improving a system that is "underfunded and inefficient." Dorgan is also the chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee.
The bill was introduced in 1999, a year before the last Indian health care act approved by Congress expired. Among the current legislation's key points is a formal apology that acknowledges the mistreatment of Native people and harsh government policies of the past.
Much like the bill itself, the apology has been both praised as a step in the right direction and criticized for not going far enough.
To read more about the Indian health Care Improvement Act, click here to go to an Associated Press article that explains where the bill is headed next, and here to go to a column by Kevin Abourezk of the Lincoln Journal Star and Reznet that outlines the bill's measures.
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