Sen. Mike Rounds requests audit of Indian Health Services

Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) is again attempting to require an audit of Indian Health Service to gain a more accurate picture of the agency.

Rounds said he doesn't believe IHS is doing its job, especially in the Great Plains region of North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa and Nebraska, and the outcomes are "scary." The disparities in health outcomes for IHS patients show that there's "a real problem" in the Great Plains region, he told the Argus Leader.

"We have the lowest life expectancy in the United States; we have the highest diabetes death rate; we have the highest TB death and the highest overall adjusted death rate," Rounds said.

The Assessment of the Indian Health Service Act of 2019 would require the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to contract for an assessment of IHS' health care delivery systems and financial management. Rounds introduced the bill in February, but it has yet to be considered by a committee.

Read more: https://www.argusleader.com/story/news/politics/2019/05/01/sen-mike-rounds-requests-audit-indian-health-service/3627043002/