Johnson IHS Reform Bill Advances out of Committee

Washington, D.C. - Today, the House Natural Resources Committee passed the Purchased and Referred Care Improvement Act led by U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.).

Johnson introducedthe bill in March to reform the Indian Health Service (IHS) and protect Native Americans' credit. In April, he testifiedin the Natural Resources Committee on behalf of the bill.

"Tribal members are often left to foot the bill on a health care charge that isn't theirs to pay," said Johnson. "My bill would right this error and ensure the Indian Health Service pays the bills it owes. I'm glad the Committee agrees with this commonsense legislation and advanced my bill today. IHS must do better."

"Representative Johnson's bill will help tackle longstanding issues arising from the untimely reimbursement of claims by IHS for services purchased from and referred to providers outside the IHS. Under no circumstance should a Native person ever pay for approved Purchased and Referred Care (PRC) or be penalized for IHS's lack of payment. By ensuring the IHS, and not Tribal citizens, are liable for PRC payments and any associated medical debt, this bill will meaningfully improve the patient experience at IHS. We appreciate that his Purchased and Referred Care Improvement Act establishes a timeframe for reimbursing patients who paid out of pocket for authorized PRC services. We thank Representative Johnson for his dedicated leadership on these issues and for listening to the concerns of Tribes and tribal health care advocates. We look forward to working with Representative Johnson to enact this bill," said Frank Star Comes Out, President, Oglala Sioux Tribe.

The Purchased and Referred Care Improvement Act of 2024would:

• Ensure that IHS - not the tribal citizen - is liable for payments for PRC services that are or were authorized by IHS.
• Direct the Secretary to notify PRC providers and patients that the patients are not liable to any provider or debt collector for charges associated with authorized PRC services.
• Permit IHS to establish and implement procedures to allow patients that paid out-of-pocket for IHS-authorized PRC services to be reimbursed by IHS no later than 30 days after a patient submits the necessary documentation.