IHS Provider Expansion Act

The IHS Provider Expansion Act would create within the Indian Health Service (IHS) a new Office of Graduate Medical Education Programs. This Office would build and oversee a pipeline for residency and fellowship training for physicians and other health professionals at IHS facilities, centralize management of existing residency programs, and facilitate additional programs to recruit and retain staff at IHS facilities. The bill would also establish an Interagency Working Group (with the VA, Labor, HRSA, and CMS) to support implementation and long-term planning, require quarterly progress reports to Congress for 10 years, and authorize annual appropriations starting at $4 million (beginning in FY 2027) to fund these activities. The goal is to expand IHS’s capacity to train and sustain a workforce needed to improve health care access and quality for American Indian and Alaska Native communities.