How can I trust them with the safety and care of the 122,000 tribal members in the Great Plains?

The Indian Health Service is beyond broken, and fixing it is literally a matter of life and death.

I have not heard of a single person being fired from IHS because of the poor care that has been delivered in the facilities in the Great Plains region.

We are asking for the same provisions that the VA has recently received and changes that.

We believe this would work well for holding IHS accountable to its consultation requirements.

The HEALTTH Act (H.R. 5406), proposed by Representative Kristi Noem, is attempting to address long-standing tribal concerns about the IHS.

I have never gotten an answer.

The stories from the Omaha/Winnebago Hospital and other IHS facilities serving the Pine Ridge and Rosebud Reservations sound like scenes from Third World countries, not the American heartland.

I know we don't move as fast as people would like.

The PRC funding formula does not currently work, because my tribes run out of money by June.

Every day that emergency department is closed down and services are diverted, their people are dying.

I want to pass a bill that fixes problems and that everybody can get behind and recognize is a huge change.

What my legislation does is that it reimburses at Medicare rates.

Under our treaty obligations--these are treaty tribes that we need to honor by treating them with the respect they deserve and the health care that we have promised them, and we are failing.

I respectfully request that the members of the subcommittee allow me to join them on the dais for the remainder of the hearing.

My bill would require that IHS update this formula and ensure that the money is getting to those people who need it the most.

I want to thank the subcommittee for having this important hearing on this critical issue. I also want to give particular thanks to Representative Noem for introducing this Act.

It was a dangerous situation.

We thank the subcommittee for having this important hearing on this critical issue.

Well, what created the situation was CMS coming in and saying they would no longer reimburse for services provided in that emergency department because of conditions that were occurring there.

We appreciate Rep. Noem's initiative to take action in response to failures in the provision of health care in the Great Plains area.

We appreciate Rep. Noem and the subcommittee's efforts to address the systemic issues which have persisted in the Great Plains region.

I would also like to thank Representative Noem for her partnership and for focusing attention on the critical needs of health care for Native Americans.

it certainly will help my tribes receive care for more months out of the year.

My tribes will tell you that they feel as though no consultation happens and that virtually they are left out of the decisionmaking process.