The Indian Health Care Improvement Act Reauthorization and Extension as Enacted by the ACA: Detailed Summary and Timeline

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Elayne J. Heisler
Analyst in Health Services

OnMarch 23, 2010, President Obama signed into law a comprehensive health carereform bill, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA; P.L.111-148). Among its provisions, the ACA reenacts, amends, and permanentlyreauthorizes the Indian Health Care Improvement Act (IHCIA). IHCIAauthorizes many specific Indian Health Service (IHS) activities, sets out the nationalpolicy for health services administered to Indians, and sets health conditiongoals for the IHS service population to reduce “the prevalence andincidence of preventable illnesses among, and unnecessary and prematuredeaths of, Indians.” The reauthorization of IHCIA in the ACA amends theIHCIA to, among other changes, expand programs that seek to augment the IHS healthcare workforce, increase the amount and type of services available at facilitiesfunded by the IHS, and increase the number and type of programs thatprovide behavioral health and substance abuse treatment to AmericanIndians and Alaska Natives.

This report provides a brief overview of IHCIA and summarizes the provisions ofthe Indian Health Care Improvement Reauthorization and Extension Act of2009 as reported by the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs and as enactedand amended by Section 10221 of the ACA. Appendix A presents atimeline of the deadlines included in the act. Another report, CRS Report R41152,Indian Health Care: Impact of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), by ElayneJ. Heisler, summarizes the major changes made by the ACA to IHCIA andother provisions in the ACA that may affect IHS and American Indian andAlaska Native health and their access to health care.


Date of Report: December 14, 2012
Number of Pages: 47
Order Number: R41630
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