Lawmakers are requesting funding for tribal and Native American health facilities that are struggling in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
A letter sent to Senate leadership on Tuesday was signed by more than 50 members of Congress, led by Democratic Sens. Kamala Harris, Dianne Feinstein, and Raul Ruiz of California, Sen. Tom Udall of New Mexico, and Republican Rep. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma, who is a member of the Cherokee Nation.
“Our Tribal and Native communities are disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 and these health facilities are in danger of closing,” Harris tweeted on Wednesday.
The letter urges funding for the Indian Health Service, Tribal Health Programs, and Urban Indian Health Organizations in the next coronavirus relief bill to help them recover from revenue losses related to the effects of COVID-19. These organizations serve 573 federally recognized tribes in 37 states and nearly 2.6 million American Indians and Alaska Natives, according to the Indian Health Service’s website.
“These facilities serve not only some of the most remote communities in the country but also patient populations that face comparatively higher rates of underlying health issues that make them highly susceptible to COVID-19, including hypertension, asthma, cancer, and heart and cardiovascular disease,” the lawmakers’ letter read.
They noted that the facilities rely on third-party reimbursements, which have fallen short due to the suspension of elective surgeries and most non-coronavirus-related care.
The Treasury and Interior departments announced a distribution of $4.8 billion on Tuesday to tribal governments allocated based on census figures, but urban American Indian programs are not part of this phase. A legal feud also delayed the stimulus money that was expected to be released before the end of April due to tribal governments denouncing the idea that Alaska Native corporations would be allocated some of the funding. The corporations are for-profit businesses that serve tribal businesses.
