The National Indian Health Board (NIHB) submitted written testimony in response to the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health hearing “Road to Recovery: Ramping up COVID-19 Vaccines, Testing and Medical Supply Chain” held on February 3, 2021. NIHB strongly urged the House Energy and Commerce Committee to ensure a minimum 5% direct set-aside of total healthcare funding for the Indian Health Service (IHS), Tribal nations, and urban Indian organizations. Since the pandemic hit the United States in March 2020, American Indians and Alaska Natives have continued to sufferer increased COVID-19 infection and hospitalization rates when compared to the general population while receiving care at historically underfunded facilities.
Read the full testimony.