[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 111 (Friday, August 7, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1606]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        INDIAN HEALTH EQUITY ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JIM McDERMOTT

                             of washington

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, August 6, 1998

  Mr. McDERMOTT. Mr. Speaker, today I am introducing legislation that 
would fix an inequity in the current reimbursement rates for low-income 
Native Americans who receive health care through the Indian Health 
Service (IHS).
  Under current law, a 100 percent Federal medical assistance 
percentage (FMAP) applies for the cost of services provided to Medicaid 
beneficiaries by a hospital, clinic, or other IHS facility, as long as 
they are run by the IHS, tribe, or tribal organization. While IHS 
facilities (usually in rural areas) are eligible to receive the 100 
percent FMAP, similar services provided through IHS programs (usually 
in urban areas) receive only 50-80 percent reimbursement depending on 
the service.
  My legislation would fix this inequity by raising the IHS program 
FMAP to 100 percent as well.
  Equalizing the FMAP for health care received through IHS programs is 
especially important given that roughly half of the nation's Native 
Americans now live in urban areas. Furthermore, many urban IHS programs 
are run through Federally Qualified Health Centers whose state funding 
have been threatened by repeal of the Boren Amendment.
  Passing this legislation would benefit IHS programs in over 35 cities 
throughout the country and would have little impact on the federal 
budget. Informal estimates illustrate that equalizing the FMAP for IHS 
programs would cost $17 million over the next 5 years.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in support of the Indian Health 
Equity Act.

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