Senators propose elevating top Indian Health Service position

Two U.S. senators introduced legislation Tuesday to elevate the director of the Indian Health Service to assistant secretary for Indian health within the Department of Health and Human Services, according to ICT. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nevada, and Sen. Mike Rounds, R-South Dakota, introduced the Stronger Engagement for Indian Health Needs Act, which would change IHS’s top leadership structure.

According to ICT, the senators said the current IHS director lacks certain authorities needed to recruit and retain doctors, nurses and other employees, requiring approval from officials outside the agency and creating delays. If enacted, the assistant secretary for Indian health would report directly to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The legislation was introduced as IHS continues to face staffing challenges, with more than 1,000 employees leaving the agency in 2025 through early retirement or voluntary separation, according to testimony cited by ICT.