The Donald Trump administration has proposed a major change to Native American health program, by dismissing their sovereignty and classifying them as a race, under which the Indigenous communities will be included in Medicaid work rules, a move which could further marginalize them and pose a serious threat to their health access.
Liz DeRouen, 49, left, gets her blood pressure checked by medical assistant Jacklyn Stra, right, at the Sonoma County Indian Health Project in Santa Rosa, Calif. (AP/Eric Risberg)
MINNEAPOLIS — The Indian Health Service (IHS), the federal service legally responsible for providing medical care to approximately 2.2. million tribal members is under scrutiny for failing to meet minimum national standards for medical facilities and repeatedly endangering patients by turning away the gravely ill and causing unnecessary deaths.
