The Push for Parity Within Indian Health Service
A bill known as the Urban Indian Health Confer Act aims to give Native Americans and Alaska Natives living in urban areas more of an active voice in the federal health care policies that affect them.
The House bill, H.R. 5221, was introduced by Rep. Raúl Grijalva, D-Ariz., last year, and passed the House last November on a vote of 406-17.
In May, Sens. Tina Smith, D-Minn., and James Lankford, R-Okla., introduced bill S.4323 to continue to establish parity within the Indian Health Service, but the bill has since stalled in the Senate.
The Urban Indian Health Confer Act would amend the Indian Health Care Improvement Act and require the Department of Health and Human Services to confer with Urban Indian Organizations about health care for Native Americans and Alaska Natives living in urban areas.
According to Lankford, there is currently a disconnect in the process for Native American health care, as the act would require that all agencies within HHS confer with Urban Indian Organizations like any other federal health entity, where currently only the Indian Health Service is required to do.
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