‘Still killing us’: The federal government underfunded health care for Indigenous people for centuries. Now they’re dying of COVID-19

USA Today. October 20, 2020. Dennis Wagner and Wyatte Grantham-Philips

In reservation areas of New Mexico, health care is underfunded. In this six-part series, USA TODAY investigates links between racism and COVID-19.

Melvina Musket stared at her dying father through the cellphone screen. His mouth hung open, his eyes were clamped shut and a beard covered his chin. She heard nurses crying in the background. 

“Jesus is waiting for you,” she told him.

Musket, 52, had never seen her father with facial hair. Benjamin Musket, 80, was a former Marine, a retired machinery mechanic, a basketball coach and a board member at their church. He didn’t do beards.