American Indian health a priority, McCain says

Matt Heistand Arizona Daily Wildcat Sen. John McCain speaks at the American Indian health and welfare conference Friday afternoon at the Doubletree Guest Suites.

By Anthony C. Braza

Health-care service for American Indians should be a priority during the 106th Congress, U.S. Sen. John McCain said Friday.

McCain, a Republican, gave a lunchtime speech during the "Native American Health and Welfare Policy in an Age of New Federalism" conference, held Thursday through Saturday at the Doubletree Guest Suites, 6555 E. Speedway Blvd.

The conference was sponsored by the Morris K. Udall Foundation, the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation and the UA Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy.

McCain said situations in Washington, D.C., distracted this year's Congress from dealing with Indian health care.

"The Monica Lewinsky scandal has prevented us from addressing issues in America, and the 105th Congress ended without a significant address of Indian health care," McCain said.

He referred to the Indian Health Care Improvement Act of 1976, which was amended in 1992 and scheduled to be re-authorized in 2000. The purpose of the act is to eliminate deficiencies in the health care available to American Indians.

"Re-authorization of this act will be a priority with the Indian health care committee in the 106th Congress," he said.

McCain said there is a need to improve the quality and number of services available to American Indians, as well as to create more ways for them to pay for the services.

"Unemployment keeps tribal members from receiving company sponsored health care," he said. "One half of all Indian children under 6 live in poverty, and one half of Native American families headed by a women live in poverty, compared to 31 percent nationally."

Bill King, Chiricahua Apache tribe medicine man, said he was supportive of McCain's efforts but did not think the senator could do it alone.

"He is only one person, and we need to get more people on our side," King said. "We need to get tribal leaders to Washington to show the needs of the various tribes."

King said the 106th Congress needs to concentrate its efforts on securing health care for American Indian women and children, some of whom do not qualify for Medicare or Medicaid.

"We need health care for all the children, and women who live on reservations, who never worked and are left out in the cold with no aid whatsoever," he said. "We have to figure out a way to improve this to include all the Native Americans that qualify."

McCain said Congress will have to take up Indian health issues next year.

"I remain firmly supportive of services intended for our nation's most vulnerable," he said.

Anthony C. Braza can be reached via e-mail at Anthony.C.Braza@wildcat.arizona.edu.