I recently read an op-ed by Congressman Chris Delzio warning fellow veterans that “our health care is under attack.” My first thought was that, finally, more members of Congress are having the same problem as me at the Veterans Administration. ”
You can imagine my surprise when I learned that Congressman Delzio believed the attacks were coming from my Republican colleagues and even my own organization, Concerned Veterans for America. Probably.
We can all agree with this warning. Veterans health care is certainly under attack. However, the call comes from inside the house. Attacks on veterans' health care have long come from the Department of Veterans Affairs itself.
Veterans Affairs reform heated up about 11 years ago. Phoenix VA scandal It alerted the public that VA schedulers were using a secret waitlist system to hide the true wait times for care at VA facilities to increase their chances of earning performance bonuses. . It turns out this is a common practice among veterans across the country.
Congress responded with an obvious solution, passing the Veterans Affairs Act. This gives veterans more choice in where they can access their long-term care benefits. In theory, we are welcome to stay in the VA if it's convenient for us, but if not, we can seek care from community health care providers. This concept is very similar to the care benefits you received when you were in uniform.
The Veterans Administration is trying to undermine the law at every step by misleading people and hiding community care options, even going so far as to override doctors' recommendations through a rigorous administrative review process. .
Two bills Congressman Delzio is activating — complete a mission act and Veterans Medical Freedom Act — Solving these problems by putting veterans at the center of their own care.
The Complete the Mission Act protects community care options for veterans from the bureaucratic interference described above by making the program's eligibility provisions law. The bill would also address the suicide crisis by removing bureaucratic hurdles for veterans who want to receive mental health treatment from community health providers.
The Veterans Health Care Freedom Act creates a “full choice” pilot program that allows veterans to access VA health care benefits at the health care provider of their choice without first obtaining VA approval. be.
None of this is necessary if, as Rep. Delzio argues, patients are satisfied with their VA care. In fact, the VA original research It shows that 83% of patients are satisfied with community care, compared to 69% with care at VA hospitals. These ratings increased and decreased over the three years, respectively. a JAMA research Additionally, we find that people who receive all of their care through the VA are more likely to report poor health than VA patients with private insurance.
What about the so-called “?”independent report” quotes Delzio, warning of the dangers of community care? Information disclosure law evidence shows that Veterans Affairs officials actively participated in drafting and editing the “independent” report, even as they flaunted their independence to enhance their credibility outside of the agency. . In other words, this document is biased and self-serving.
As for Congressman Delzio's claim that community care is bankrupting the VA, community care spending is increasing simply because more veterans are choosing community care. I certainly am after years of inadequate treatment, botched surgeries and potentially fatal overmedication, and multiple suicide attempts due to delayed mental health care. .
VA staffing is Facilitate budget growth exceeds community care spending. VA officials reported that Veterans Health Administration spending increased by $42 billion between 2019 and 2023, even though in-person appointments declined by 19%. Only 15% of the increase was from community care and 74% was from labor costs.
The VA budget includes: 5 times more Over the past two decades, starting long before community care existed, the number of veterans using the VA has declined. Spending concerns should be focused holistically.
VA's Core functions and mission It means “caring for those who have served.” We do not provide health care in isolation, we cannot withhold health care just because it is provided by an outside provider, and we cannot use it in Congress to justify inflating our own budgets.
Veterans have expressed support for the choice. Perhaps that's why veterans service organizations, including veterans service organizations. American Veterans Association and veterans of foreign warstypically favors the “Mission Complete Act.”
We have gained the basic dignity of deciding where our health care comes from, whether we upend the status quo in Washington or not.
chris enget He is an Army and Afghanistan War veteran and Purple Heart recipient. He is the strategic director for Concerned American Veterans in Montana.
