Health Services for Native Americans Under Review
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has consistently promised to enhance health services for Native Americans, both during his Senate confirmation hearing in late January and on a trip to Arizona in April, where he engaged with tribal leaders.
In certain respects, he has followed through on those commitments.
For instance, when layoffs were expected at the Indian Health Service—the agency tasked with providing healthcare for Native Americans and Alaska Natives—Kennedy’s department quickly reversed those decisions just hours later.
During his visit to the Navajo Nation in Arizona, Kennedy reassured KFF Health News that efforts to cut budgets and personnel at HHS wouldn’t adversely affect Native American communities.
Yet, tribal leaders have voiced their doubts. They’ve noticed negative impacts resulting from the extensive reorganization of federal health agencies. Important public health data has been inconsistent, and communication from agencies has become less dependable. Furthermore, tribes reportedly lost over $6 million in grants from various HHS divisions, as highlighted in a May letter from the National Indian Health Board to Kennedy.
“Some in the administration might mistakenly believe that changes only to the Indian Health Service affect Indian Country,” said Liz Malerba, a tribal policy expert and member of the Mohegan Tribe. “That’s just not accurate.”
Native Americans experience higher rates of chronic illnesses and have shorter lifespans compared to other populations. This disparity can be traced back to centuries of systemic discrimination. The Indian Health Service has been historically underfunded and understaffed, resulting in significant care gaps.
Janet Alkire, chairperson of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, stated during a Senate hearing in May that the funding cuts impacted essential services like community health workers, vaccinations, and data modernization.
Other initiatives aimed at fostering interest in science and medicine among Native American youth, as well as programs designed to improve access to nutritious foods, were also eliminated, partly because they were said to contradict the Trump administration’s restrictions on “diversity, equity, and inclusion.”
Tribal leaders and organizations have called for tribal consultation, a legal requirement when federal agencies propose changes that could influence tribal nations. At the Senate hearing, Alkire and other tribal representatives indicated that federal officials had not been forthcoming with responses.
“This issue transcends moral responsibility to Native people,” remarked Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) during the hearing. “It also invokes matters of legality.”
