Cherokee Nation settles with federal government over unpaid health funds

The Cherokee Nation has negotiated a $29.5 million settlement with the federal government for health-support costs that were owed to the tribe for nearly a decade, according to a Cherokee Nation statement.

The Indian Health Service (IHS), the federal health program for American Indians and Alaska Natives, did not pay for support costs such as human resources, information technology and finance between 2005 and 2013. 

“The settlement is a major milestone for the Cherokee Nation and our health centers,” Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Bill John Baker said in a statement. “Payment of these millions of dollars from the federal government is long overdue, and now these funds will be utilized to provide expanded and improved health care services to our citizens. We will be able to equip our new centers with state-of-the-art medical devices and technology,” he added.

The IHS funds eight health centers and a hospital on the Nation, where more than one million patients are dependent on their care. The IHS did not immediately respond to Al Jazeera's request for comment.

Cherokee Nation Attorney General Todd Hembree said that missing out on government funds “has had a major impact for several years.”

“It’s great that we were able to capture these funds that were owed to us,” he said. “What this money means is that it’s going to bring better health care for Cherokee citizens.”

Hembree said other tribes across the country are currently involved in similar lawsuits against the government to recover health care costs that they say are unlawfully withheld from them.

The National Congress of American Indians, an organization representing the interests of tribal government and communities since 1944, called on the U.S. government in November to "promptly settle all outstanding IHS" claims. It estimates the claims amount to hundreds of millions of dollars.

“Native people have been historically underserved when it comes to access to quality care, and this is a step in a positive direction,” Baker said.