house Bill H.R. 369
Should a Program Letting Veterans Get VA-Funded Care at Private Facilities be Extended?
Argument in favor
This commonsense bill would allow the Veterans Choice Program to run its course and between $200 million and $1 billion in authorized funding to go toward providing veterans with private sector healthcare rather than that funding being cut off in August 2017.
04/06/2017
Once again... anything that assists our vets needs to be gone forth with. Yea
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04/03/2017
This program has been an asset for my husband. We live over 60 miles from some of the facilities. The waiting times were long. This program allowed him to see his local doctors and specialists.. we were fortunate that he could take advantage of this program.. please support this program and extend it.
04/03/2017
I live 41/2 hours from the nearest major VA center in another state. The Choice program has enabled me to afford hearing devices that I would not have been able to pay for otherwise.
Argument opposed
The Veterans Choice Program proved to be a useful pilot project in terms of gauging what works and what doesn’t in terms of letting veterans get healthcare from the private sector, but it should conclude on its sunset date and the VA assuming control of leftover funds.
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04/03/2017
I want universal healthcare for all including veterans, not piecemeal legislation
04/03/2017
If the pilot program has achieved its purpose and if the results demonstrate its usefulness in providing care to vets, the VA should move on to implement the program and find a way to add the services to the regular options offered by the VA. It would be advisable to add these services with a limited time period set in place and a plan for renewal based on actual performance criteria.
04/04/2017
Fully fund the VA. You sent them to unfunded wars and you have a responsibility for their medical care. Take the money out of that bloated military budget. We already spend more than how many countries combined? We are not rhe global police. Take care of our vets!
Once again... anything that assists our vets needs to be gone forth with. Yea
I want universal healthcare for all including veterans, not piecemeal legislation
This program has been an asset for my husband. We live over 60 miles from some of the facilities. The waiting times were long. This program allowed him to see his local doctors and specialists.. we were fortunate that he could take advantage of this program.. please support this program and extend it.
If the pilot program has achieved its purpose and if the results demonstrate its usefulness in providing care to vets, the VA should move on to implement the program and find a way to add the services to the regular options offered by the VA. It would be advisable to add these services with a limited time period set in place and a plan for renewal based on actual performance criteria.
I live 41/2 hours from the nearest major VA center in another state. The Choice program has enabled me to afford hearing devices that I would not have been able to pay for otherwise.
I am supporting this bill because I believe veterans will continue to benefit from the choice (albeit limited) of seeking private care. I do so with full recognition this is only stopgap measure, and apparently based upon the assessment of many of our vets not an awesome one at that. Healthcare for all Americans need to be fixed with a universal single payer system. This would take tremendous strain off of the VA system. I do believe sometimes veterans have special needs that can be best dealt with by a healthcare system specialized to address and support those needs, so doing away with VA care entirely doesn't seem practical. However, much of the routine medical care they require could be provided through universal single payer healthcare that would also tremendously benefit the rest of the citizenry as well. I'm not entirely sure how that would look but perhaps specific specialized VA services could be tied in as a special branch within a universal plan? Maybe? Either way, Congress needs to do their job to take care of veterans and provide a workable, affordable plan for them and all Americans.
Like school vouchers. Give the people the freedom to choose! Don't condemn them to the low-quality government option. Let them take their money to the much better private sector.
Fully fund the VA. You sent them to unfunded wars and you have a responsibility for their medical care. Take the money out of that bloated military budget. We already spend more than how many countries combined? We are not rhe global police. Take care of our vets!
Although some veterans are perfectly happy with their healthcare within the VA systems there are many factors that make it essential that they have a choice - travel obstacles including the need to travel long distances for episodes of care that require frequent office visits, treatments or tests; limitations to the availability of specialty healthcare providers due to VA budgets and culture; and limitations to scheduling due to facility size and provider hiring and retention versus the number of veterans currently needing care. Yes, Veterans Choice has many problems but by rolling the 7 different outside care programs into a single program administered by the VA with informed oversight from outside the VA, veterans will not have to fight again just to get the healthcare they paid for with their service.
I worked at the VA Hospital as a RN & quit my cushy federal job because I could not bear to witness the atrocious & substandard care. I saw patients who suffered unnecessarily & who died due to the inaction of doctors & nurses. The surgical patients were Guiney pigs & would often have catastrophic outcomes from very basic surgeries. I also worked for the California Department of Corrections & the inmates receive better access & quality of care then our Veterans do. VA hospitals should be shut down & Vets should be allowed to get care from the private sector.
My husband has used this to get much needed care at local facilities when wait times at the closest VA hospital were too long. This is a great help to our Veterans and especially for those who live far from VA hospitals and clinics.
Of course! This is such a stupid question indicative of the mediocrity that exists throughout our government. When stupid people are in charge they fear hiring anyone more intelligent than themselves. The VA medical system should be completely eliminated. Anyone who has served in the military on active duty should have free medical care with any doctor or facility at any time anywhere in the country!
we did not vote when they went to protect our country. Why.not help them if they need us. No votes needed
This needs to continue for folks living in rural areas, long distances from VA facilities.
While i have personally benefited from this system, it is sadly a stop gap only to actually fixing the system. I fear it will lead to privatizing a great public good
Too many vets live too far away from VA facilities for continuity of care.
It hurts my heart the neglect our veterans have been subjected to. It also pains me that our honorable and selfless military were grossly abused. The Freudian slip at the National Prayer Breakfast corpsman became corpse-man spoke it all.I support the status return and I support congruency words and actions being one. Our military people should receive the best of care whatever their circumstances and needs may be.
Our veterans are entitled to quick, efficient, and quality healthcare. There is no need form them to wait for an appointment!
As a Disabled vet, I can tell you that it is somtimes difficult to to get appointments at the VA and sometimes there is no VA in a close (under 100 miles) proximity.