[fintstone]

Those with native american blood are everywhere. Most do not even know they have it. Most natives assimilated many years ago. Only the least industrious stayed on the reservation. They are now rewarded for doing exactly the opposite of what we asked. This med school program is like most all the federal programs for indians. If you do not have proof that you are a member of a tribe from the federal government...you do not qualify for any of the federal affirmative action programs. Other federal affirmative action programs... if you are black or hispanic...all you have to do is say so to qualify, but not native american. Seems odd that they do not have to prove what tribe their ancestors came from).
Each tribe decides who can be a member...so it is not necessarily fair. For some...all you have to do is ask...for others (especially those with money, land, casinos), it is almost impossible. It is also a valuable perk out west where there most jobs with the Department of the Interior (a huge employer, especially in rural areas) must hire native americans (only with tribal papers)
My point is...that my daughter does not deserve any special consideration because of race or ancestry. If she was accepted through that program, she would be getting an unfair advantage over other kids that scored higher on the tests and had higher GPAs than she did. It takes those slots out of the competition unfairly. Frankly, when I go to a doctor, I want them to have gone to medical school because they ere the best possible candidate, not because they were of a specific color or race.
You are correct, they hope the doctors will practice medicine in areas where there are a lot of native americans. But it is much different than paying the costs of a person who is willing to practice in a specific area where you need them. That is just business. Diverting scarce school slots by race keeps the most qualified from ever attending med school. How would you feel is there was a program just for those who could prove themselves 100% white, ancestors crossed on the Mayflower, etc? Suppose my family had kept affiliation with a tribe. Then my relatively wealthy, blond-haired, blue eyed daughter would be getting into med school (like many others) based on reparations (of a sort) for discrimination or suffering she has never experienced.

I agree, it is even tougher for asian american males.