Thomas Daschle: “Basically this comes down to whether or not we mean it when we say we will provide meaningful health care to our Native…”

“Basically this comes down to whether or not we mean it when we say we will provide meaningful health care to our Native American population. Unfortunately, as most people know, we are far from that promise. It would take about $5 billion for us to fulfill the promise and to live up to the expectations on the reservations that we see with health care delivery in the rest of the country--$5 billion for the IHS clinical services account. This year's budget is $1.9 billion--less than half of what it would take to meet that obligation. As a result, today there is severe rationing of health care on every reservation--rationing so severe that they call it the ``life or limb'' test. Unless your life or limb is in jeopardy, you often do not get care on a reservation today. This chart shows as clearly as anything can just what the commitment made to the Native American people is today when it comes to health care.”