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Hearing of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee - Opening Statement of Sen. John Thune, Hearing on the Restoring Accountability in the Indian Health Service Act of 2017

Hearing

Date: June 13, 2017
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Indigenous Peoples Health and Health Care Legislative Branch

"The Indian Health Service just continues to underperform, and the consequences continue to negatively impact the quality of care, with sometimes devastating consequences.

"So, what we see is taxpayer dollars get wasted, patients are put at risk.

"We have significant problems at the facilities in South Dakota, even after two IHS facilities had entered into Systems Improvement Agreements with CMS, they continue to find serious deficiencies at both facilities.

"These systemic problems are what prompted Sens. Barrasso, Hoeven, and I to introduce the Restoring Accountability in the IHS Act, which is one of the issues that we're here to discuss today.

"It's long past time to address the problems with IHS. They have been identified time and time and time again.

"This bill is aimed at giving the Indian Health Service and the tribes the tools they need to provide quality care for patients.

"Our tribes just deserve better than the status quo, and this hearing, I think, is an important first step in getting these reforms passed through Congress and hopefully to the president's desk for his signature."


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