IHS Contract Support Cost Amendment Act

IHS Contract Support Cost Amendment Act

This bill allows tribes to receive contract support costs for activities that would otherwise be carried out by the Department of the Interior or the Department of Health and Human Services for direct operation of a program, but for which the costs are not fully covered by the amount of funds required by the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act of 1975.

Bill 117 HR 7455, also known as the IHS Contract Support Cost Amendment Act, is a piece of legislation that aims to address issues related to contract support costs for the Indian Health Service (IHS). The bill seeks to amend the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act to provide additional funding for contract support costs incurred by tribes and tribal organizations that enter into self-determination contracts with the IHS.

The bill recognizes that contract support costs are essential for tribes and tribal organizations to effectively manage and operate health care programs under self-determination contracts with the IHS. These costs include expenses such as administrative overhead, indirect costs, and other expenses related to the management of health care services.

The IHS Contract Support Cost Amendment Act aims to ensure that tribes and tribal organizations are fully reimbursed for these contract support costs, as required by law. The bill also seeks to improve the transparency and accountability of the contract support cost process, by requiring the IHS to provide detailed information on how these costs are calculated and allocated. Overall, the IHS Contract Support Cost Amendment Act is intended to strengthen the self-determination and self-governance of tribes and tribal organizations in managing their health care programs, and to ensure that they have the necessary resources to provide quality health care services to their communities.