Indian Health Service Contracts With Alaska Native Health Organizations

The Indian Health Service (IHS), a component of the Health Service Administration (HSA) of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW), is responsible for providing comprehensive health care to Indians and Alaska Natives. The Alaska Area Native Health Service (AANHS) is the IHS component responsible for providing health care services to Alaska Natives. The Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act permits Indian tribes and Alaska Natives to assume control over Federal Indian programs. Under the Act, tribes must request to contract with the Secretaries of the Interior and HEW to plan and conduct programs which the Bureau of Indian Affairs and/or IHS administers for Indians and Alaska Natives. Alaska Natives have formed nonprofit Native health organizations in each of the 12 regions of Alaska which were established by the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. AANHS has contracted directly with the 12 Native health organizations to provide a variety of health services to Alaska Natives. Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO attempted a comparison of the costs IHS incurred in contracting with Native health organizations for administering health service programs with the costs IHS previously incurred in administering such programs directly.