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Coalition of Health Organizations Request Congress Increase Funding for Key IHS Resources in FY 2026 to Address Native American Health Needs

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On April 29, 2025, the American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) Health Partners, a coalition of health organizations dedicated to improving health care for AI/AN people, sent letters to House and Senate Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Subcommittee leadership regarding the fiscal year (FY) 2026 appropriations. The coalition emphasized that without sustained investment in the Indian Health Service (IHS), persistent health disparities facing AI/AN communities will continue to worsen.

Letter Highlights

In the letter, the coalition outlined three critical areas for increased investment:

Loan repayment and scholarships: The coalition requested an $18 million increase to the IHS Loan Repayment and Scholarship Programs to help close the 30% provider vacancy rate identified by IHS. The funding would support hiring approximately 400 additional providers.

Staff Quarters: The coalition requested $11 million for new and replacement staff quarters. The letter underscored the urgent need for new and renovated staff housing, especially in rural and remote IHS service areas. Many existing staff quarters are over 40 years old and in disrepair.

Medical and Diagnostic Equipment: Outdated or obsolete medical devices continue to hinder the quality of care across the IHS/Tribal/Urban Indian (I/T/U) system. The coalition urged Congress to fund the Indian Health Facilities equipment account at no less than $42.8 million—the amount approved by the House in FY 2024—to help modernize diagnostic and treatment tools.

The AI/AN Health Partners also reminded Congress of the broader implications of underfunding IHS, highlighting health disparities for AI/AN people due to poor access to health care. Only with sufficient resources will IHS be able to fulfill the federal government’s trust responsibility to provide quality healthcare services to AI/AN people no matter where they live. resources to meet its mission to raise the physical, mental, social, and spiritual health of American Indians and Alaska Natives to the highest level.”

About the AI/AN Health Partners

The AI/AN Health Partners is a coalition of health organizations dedicated to improving health care for AI/ANs. Members of this coalition, all of whom signed the letters to the House and Senate appropriators, include:

  • Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
  • American Academy of Pediatrics
  • American Association of Colleges of Nursing
  • American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
  • American Dental Association
  • American Dental Education Association
  • American Medical Association
  • American Psychological Association Services
  • Association of Diabetes Care & Education Specialists
  • Commissioned Officers Association of the USPHS
  • National Kidney Foundation 

Full Letter Text

The full text of the AI/AN Health Partners letter to Senate appropriators can be found below:

Dear Chairman Simpson and Ranking Member Pingree:

The AI/AN Health Partners is a coalition of health organizations dedicated to improving health care for American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/ANs). AI/ANs face substantially poorer health outcomes, and higher mortality and morbidity rates than the general population. The Indian Health Service (IHS) is critical to how they access health care. However, the IHS must have sufficient resources to meet its mission to raise the physical, mental, social, and spiritual health of American Indians and Alaska Natives to the highest level.

We appreciate the continued support the Committee has given to the Indian Health Service.   We know that you have listened to testimony from tribes and tribal organizations stressing the importance of maintaining the best possible health care system for AI/ANs.   We ask that you continue that support for the FY 2026 Indian Health Service appropriation.

Over the years, our mutual goals have not deviated.  Instead, they have only become more urgent.  To provide health care for AI/ANs at a level equivalent to the rest of the nation there must be strong support for increasing and maintaining a robust health care system.  We believe that there are three initial steps to accomplish this:

  • Loan repayment and scholarships: Increase funding for Health Professions Loan Repayment and Scholarships.  For FY 2025, we requested an $18,000,000 increase in this account.   Recently, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr, cited the 30 percent health care provider vacancy rate for the Service.   It has been estimated that it would take approximately $18,000,000 to close this gap and allow the IHS to hire about 400 more providers.
  • Staff quarters: Identify specific funding to address the need to provide decent staff quarters at existing healthcare facilities.  Many of the 2,700 staff quarters in the IHS health delivery system are more than 40 years old and in need of major renovation or total replacement. Additionally, in several locations, the number of housing units is insufficient. Decent and adequate staff quarters, especially in remote areas, is necessary for attracting and keeping health care providers in Indian Country.  We endorsed the Administration’s request for $11 million for new and replacement staff quarters for FY 2025.  We continue to support this request for FY 2026.
  • Medical and diagnostic equipment: Health care professionals need modern equipment to make accurate clinical diagnoses and prescribe effective medical and dental treatments. The IHS/Tribal/Urban Indian (I/T/U) health programs manage approximately 90,000 devices consisting of laboratory, imaging, patient monitoring, pharmacy, and other biomedical, diagnostic, and patient equipment. However, many of these facilities use outdated equipment like analog mammography machines. In some cases, they are using equipment that is no longer manufactured. Today’s medical devices/systems have an average life expectancy of approximately six to eight years. The IHS has calculated for several years that to replace the equipment at the end of its six to eight-year life would require approximately $100 million per year. For three fiscal years, this account has been frozen at $32,598,000. We urge the Committee for FY 2026 to fund the Indian Health Facilities equipment account at the House-approved FY 2024 amount of at least $42,862,000. 

In closing we are reminded of inspiring and guiding words from Native Americans: 

“Let us put our minds together and see what kind of life we can make for our children.”  Sitting Bear

“Look and listen for the welfare of the whole people, and have always in view not only the present, but also coming generations – the unborn of the future nation.”  Constitution of the Iroquois Confederation

Thank you for considering our IHS funding requests for FY 2026.  We look forward to working with you to ensure the best possible health care for American Indians and Alaska Natives.

Action Alert: Contact Congress to Protect Funding for Indian Health TODAY

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Dear Advocates,

We need your help contacting Congress to support access to health care for Native communities!

Representative Teresa Leger Fernández is leading a letter to support funding for Urban Indian Health in the FY26 budget. The letter also includes a request to retain advance appropriations for the Indian Health Service (IHS) in FY27 and protect IHS from sequestration.

While the President’s budget says IHS funding will be preserved, it is crucial to notify Congress of your support for IHS and Urban Indian Health. We encourage you to contact your Member of Congress and request that they sign on to the Leger Fernández Urban Indian Health letter.

You can use the text below as a template to call and/or email your Representative. If you can please, call and email your representative. You can find your representative here.

Thank you for your leadership. Your outreach on this is invaluable to providing greater access to health care for American Indian and Alaska Native people.

Sincerely,

The National Council of Urban Indian Health

 

Ways to Advocate

Contact Congress | Post on Social Media

 

CONTACT CONGRESS

Step 1: Copy the email below.

Step 2: Find your representative here.

Step 3: Go to their website and click contact.

Step 4: Paste the email into the form and send. Please contact Jeremy Grabiner (policy@ncuih.org) with questions.

Email to Your Representative

Dear Representative [NAME],

As an urban Indian health advocate, I respectfully request that you sign on to the Leger Fernández letter to the House Committee on Appropriations in support of funding for the Urban Indian Health line item for FY26.

Indian Health Service (IHS) funded Urban Indian Organizations (UIOs) provide essential healthcare services to patients from over 500 Tribes in 38 urban areas across the United States. As an integral part of the Indian health care delivery system, IHS UIOs are innovative stewards who use scarce federal resources to provide services to American Indian and Alaska Native patients. The Urban Indian Health line item historically makes up only one percent (1%) of IHS’ annual appropriation, and UIOs often only receive direct funding from the Urban Indian Health line item.

The letter requests funding for Urban Indian Health, IHS advance appropriations for FY27, and to protect IHS from sequestration. I respectfully ask that you help honor the federal trust obligation to provide health service to American Indian and Alaska Natives, no matter where they live by signing on to this letter.

Sign on to the letter by reaching out to Sofia Mingote (sofia.mingote@mail.house.gov) with any questions.

Thank you for your leadership and your commitment to urban Indian health.

Sincerely,

[contact information]

POST ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Example post:

We need your help to support urban American Indian and Alaska Native communities! Indian Health Service funded Urban Indian Organizations provide essential healthcare services to American Indian and Alaska Native patients from over 500 Tribes in 38 urban areas across the United States. Call on your Representative TODAY and urge them to sign on to the Leger Fernández Urban Indian Health funding letter.

NCUIH Contact:Meredith Raimondi, Vice President of Policy and Communications,  mraimondi@ncuih.org

NCUIH Supports Tribal Sovereignty

NCUIH respects and supports Tribal sovereignty and the unique government-to-government relationship between our Tribal Nations and the United States. NCUIH works to support those federal laws, policies, and procedures that respect and uplift Tribal sovereignty and the government-to-government relationship. NCUIH does not support any federal law, policy, or procedure that infringes upon, or in any way diminishes, Tribal sovereignty or the government-to-government relationship.