Indian Health Service Funding Reform Act
This legislation converts IHS funding from discretionary to mandatory spending, ensuring consistent healthcare funding for Native Americans regardless of annual appropriations battles, and requires IHS facilities to meet the same standards as other federal healthcare facilities.
Discussion (5)
This is long overdue. Other countries have had similar policies for years and the results speak for themselves.
We tried something similar at the state level and it worked. Federal action would level the playing field.
This needs a sunset clause. Pass it as a 5-year pilot and evaluate results before making it permanent.
Funding levels should be adjusted for inflation and regional cost differences.
Adjust funding for inflation and regional costs
+ Proposed Text
Section 5(a) amended: "Funding adjusted annually per CPI, with regional cost-of-living adjustments per BLS data."
The concept is sound but costs may be significantly higher than estimated based on my analysis.