The Newest Federally Recognized Tribe Wants Better Healthcare. It May Be On Its Own.

The Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina became the five-hundred-seventy-fifth federally recognized tribe last year, a milestone leaders hoped would unlock Indian Health Service funding for its fifty-five thousand citizens in Robeson County. But KFF Health News reports the IHS is already underfunded by nearly fifty-five billion dollars nationwide, and the nearest facility sits a two-hour drive away for most tribal members. A June vote to build a casino for additional healthcare revenue failed, with over sixty percent of Lumbee voters rejecting the measure, leaving the tribe's path to better care uncertain.

Listen to this story

Hear this and more stories in a personalized audio briefing.

Open The Chonkerton