Obama Signs the Indian Health Care Act

Good news from the Obama Administration on Indian Health Care too!

Washington -- The Indian Health Care Improvement Act, the cornerstone legal authority for the provision of health care to American Indians and Alaska Natives, was made permanent when President Obama signed the bill, as part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

The authorization of appropriations for the IHCIA had expired in 2000, and while various versions of the bill were considered by Congress since then, the act now has no expiration date.

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The version of the IHCIA signed into law on Tuesday differs in several respects from the original version passed by Congress in 1976. It includes many major changes and improvements to facilitate the delivery of health care services, such as:

The IHS provides a comprehensive health service delivery system for approximately 1.9 million of the nation's estimated 3.3 million American Indians and Alaska Natives.

The full story is available at the Springfield News Leader