LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES

Our Priorities

Upholding the Highest Health Status for All American Indians
and Alaska Natives (AI/ANs)

• Fully Fund the Indian Health Service (IHS) and Urban Indian Health at the Amounts Requested by Tribes
  • FY 2023 Request for IHS: $49.8 billion.
  • FY 2023 Request for the Urban Indian Line Item: $949.9 million.
• Improving Behavioral Health for All American Indians and Alaska Natives
  • Enact the Native Behavioral Health Access Improvement Act (H.R. 4251/S. 2226) to Provide at Least $200 million
    Annually to Indian Health Care Providers.
  • Enact the State Opioid Response Grant Authorization Act of 2021 (H.R. 2379) to Provide Critical Investments to Tribes,
    Tribal Organizations, and UIOs to Fight the Opioid Epidemic.
• Attain Advance Appropriations for Indian Health and Improve Funding Certainty
  • Enact the Indian Programs Advance Appropriations Act (H.R. 5567/S. 2985) and Indian Health Service Advance
    Appropriations Act (H.R. 5549) to Insulate Indian Health Care Providers from Shutdowns.
  • Allow UIOs to Receive all Funds at the Start of a Continuing Resolution (Exception Apportionment)
• “Nothing About Us Without Us”: Improving Health Outcomes Through Dialogue
  • Enact the Urban Indian Health Confer Act (H.R. 5221) to Establish an Urban Confer for the Department of Health and
    Human Services (HHS).
  • Include UIOs in Advisory Committees that Focus on Indian Health.
  • Establish an Urban Indian Interagency Work Group to Identify the Needs and Develop Strategies to Better Serve Urban
    AI/AN Populations.
• Improving Native Veteran Health Outcomes
  • Establish an Urban Confer for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
  • Enact the STRONG Veterans Act of 2022 (H.R.6411).
• Special Diabetes Program for Indians: A Proven Case of Decreased Diabetes Prevalence and Improved
  Health Outcomes for AI/AN People
  • Permanently Reauthorize Special Diabetes Program for Indians (SDPI) at a Minimum of $250 Million Annually.
• Healing from Federal Boarding Schools
  • Enact the Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies in the United States Act
    (H.R.5444/S.2907).
• Ending the Pandemic of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples (MMIP)
  • Enact the Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization Act of 2022 (S. 3623).
• Improving Data in Indian Health
  • Enact the Tribal Health Data Improvement Act (H.R. 3841).
• Improving the Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic for AI/ANs
  • Enact the Tribal Medical Supplies Stockpile Access Act of 2022 (H.R. 6372/S. 3444).
• Tackling the Stigma and Advancing HIV Efforts in AI/AN Communities
  • Increase Innovative Resources to Reduce Stigma and Fear Around HIV in AI/AN Communities.
  • Increase Behavioral Health Support Resources at UIOs for AI/ANs Living with HIV.

Parity in the Indian Health System

• Increasing Resources Supporting Medicaid-IHS Beneficiaries
  • Enact the Urban Indian Health Parity Act (H.R. 1373 or H.R. 1888) to Ensure Permanent Full (100%) Federal Medical
    Assistance Percentage (FMAP) for Services Provided at UIOs.
• Improving the Indian Health Workforce
  • Inclusion of UIOs in National Community Health Aide Program (CHAP).

Improving the Indian Health Service

• Data is Dollars: Ensuring Accurate Data Collection in the Indian Health System
  • Health IT/Electronic Health Record (EHR) Improvement and IHS National Data Warehouse Reporting
• Continuity in the Indian Health System
  • Improve Area Office Consistency.
• Elevate the Health Care Needs of Native Americans Within the Federal Government
  • Enact the Stronger Engagement for Indian Health Needs Act (H.R. 6406) to elevate the IHS Director to Assistant
    Secretary for Indian Health.

Appropriations

• Increase Funding for the Indian Health Service and the Urban Indian Line Item ($200.5 million for FY22)
• Advance Appropriations to Insulate Indian Health Care Providers from Shutdowns and Allow for Long-Term Planning
• Fund Behavioral Health for Urban Indian Organizations (UIOs)

Parity for Urban Indian Health

• Extend Full (100%) Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) to services provided at UIOs (H.R. 1373, H.R. 1888)
• Remove Facilities Restrictions on UIOs
• Establish an Urban Confer Policy for HHS
• Inclusion of UIOs in National Community Health Aide Program (CHAP)
• Inclusion of UIOs in Advisory Committees with Focus on Indian Health
• Add UIOs to Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) Exemptions
• UIO Representation for Facilities Appropriation Advisory Board (FAAB)

Additional Requests

• Reauthorize the Special Diabetes Program for Indians (SDPI) through 2025 and increase funding to $200 million annually
• Unfunded Provisions in the Indian Health Care Improvement Act (IHCIA)
• Establish an Urban Indian Health Community Health Representatives fund at $3.05 million

Veterans Administration

• Establish a UIO urban confer policy

Behavioral Health

• Preserve behavioral health initiatives for Urban Indian Organizations