Deeming An Urban Indian Organization and Employees A Part of Public Health Service

Floor Speech

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Mr. WITTMAN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, H.R. 6535 would amend the Indian Health Care Improvement Act to extend Federal Tort Claims Act coverage to urban Indian organizations, or UIOs. It would do so by deeming the UIOs and their employees part of the Public Health Service.

Currently, urban Indian health organizations need to purchase liability insurance with resources that could be better utilized to expand services to Native Americans. The rising costs of liability insurance and the general cost of providing healthcare services adversely impact the ability of UIOs to provide needed services. As a result, services are often substantially reduced or certain types of staff are eliminated.

The Indian Health Service deems UIOs an integral part of the Indian healthcare system. They provide high-quality, culturally relevant healthcare and are often the only healthcare providers readily accessible to urban American Indian and Alaska Native patients.

While there is general agreement and support that Federal Tort Claims Act protections should be extended to UIO health facilities, I am disappointed that the majority failed to consider technical amendments provided by the Department of Health and Human Services.

Requests to address these legitimate concerns were dismissed shortly after Chairman Grijalva of the Natural Resources Committee agreed to keep working on the legislation before it would be considered on the House floor. These technical changes would improve the legislation, which may now face an uncertain future in the Senate. That shortsightedness only hurts the very Native Americans that this bill is trying to help.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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