What is worse for America than the inflation we have in the medical system? It is massive because there are not competitive forces to drive it down.

During a May 11, 2022, Senate Appropriations subcommittee on Interior hearing to review the fiscal Year 2023 President's Budget for IHS, Senator Jeff Merkley asked IHS Acting Director Elizabeth Fowler if more grants went out to UIOs due to…

the rest of the developed world has figured out that you can provide much better health care and much lower cost, and that is what Medicare for All is all about.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, and I appreciate this conversation so much because our health care system is so enormously stressful.

During a May 11, 2022, Senate Appropriations subcommittee on Interior hearing to review the fiscal Year 2023 President's Budget for IHS, Senator Jeff Merkley asked IHS Acting Director Elizabeth Fowler if more grants went out to UIOs due to…

Thank you and just a huge thank you to all the nurses who make the world better one bedside at a time.

If you really want competition within the existing system and you did not support Medicare for All, then you support a public option.

Thank you very much, and with your agreement, we'll put your entire written testimony into the record.

Okay. Well, thank you. We want to keep working with you to explore that question.

Thank you very much, Senator. It's so rare to leave a little bit of time on your clock.

Because if the Administration is not responsive, then it's clear it's not a serious proposal and so we're ready to dive into the details and explore it, but we need the partnership from the Executive Branch in that regard.

So we are really pleased that the infrastructure bill had $3.5 billion to clear the backlog on the sanitation deficiencies list at the time of passage and we're looking forward to seeing the projects actually get done.

Today, we convene this hearing at an important time when health care remains at the forefront of our minds as we attempt to move past the COVID-19 pandemic.

Well, when that happens, that means more children are abused, like a thousand percent unacceptable.

Can you personally keep me briefed on this? It's so important to the Warm Springs Tribe in my state.

the PRC fundings are not sufficient to pay for all needed services and so it's basically saying we're not sure even if you get a setup, that notice in 72 hours that you're going to get helped and this is what's wrong with health care in…

Okay. I will submit questions for the record to better understand how we're spending the additional money in that account and understanding how urban Indian population is being better served, like what specific changes have occurred.

The pandemic simply highlighted and exacerbated them.

I looked at it and I just went my goodness, this is a nightmare for how a person, a member of a tribe in a place like Washington, D.C., accesses medical care.

We've seen interesting reports across the nation from health care clinics that essentially have had the therapeutics, but they don't even prescribe them when people come in.

I don't think of that as administrative costs at all. I think of it as a core part of the construction from beginning to end to get it designed right.

So in partnership with our colleagues from Indian Affairs, we've been trying to schedule a meeting with OMB and IHS to explore the technical details and there's not been a responsive communication from the Administration.

I see whistleblower protection as essential.

This is like the story we never want to hear.

Not one more child should be at risk.