AuntiE Loc: 45th Least Free State

After Vets protests, new deal struck....
https://www.onenewsnow.com/...

After vets protests, new deal struck to end VA budget crisis

WASHINGTON (July 28, 2017) — Congressional Republicans and Democrats have reached agreement on a $3.9 billion emergency spending package to fill a shortfall in the Department of Veterans Affairs' program of private-sector care, seeking to avert a disruption to medical care for thousands of veterans.

The deal includes additional money for core VA health programs, as well. Veterans' groups insisted this money be included.

The compromise plan sets aside $2.1 billion over six months to continue funding the Choice program, which provides federally paid medical care outside the VA and is a priority of President Donald Trump. VA Secretary David Shulkin has warned that without legislative action Choice would run out of money by mid-August, causing delays in health care.

The proposal also would dev**e $1.8 billion to authorize 28 leases for new VA medical facilities and establish programs to make it easier to hire health specialists. That cost would be paid for by trimming pensions for some Medicaid-eligible veterans and collecting fees for housing loans.

A House v**e was planned Friday, before members were to begin a five-week recess. The Senate is finishing up business for two more weeks and would also need to approve the measure.

Major veterans' groups had opposed the original House plan as an unacceptable step toward privatization, leading Democrats to block that bill on Monday. That plan would have trimmed VA benefits to pay for Choice without additional investments in VA infrastructure.

Put in place after a 2014 wait-time scandal at the Phoenix VA hospital, the Choice program allows veterans to receive care from outside doctors if they must wait 30 days or more for an appointment or drive more than 40 miles to a VA facility.

Rep. Phil Roe of Tennessee, chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, told a hearing on Thursday that the six-month funding plan was urgently needed and would give Congress more time to debate broader issues over the future of the VA. He was joined by Rep. Tim Walz, the panel's top Democrat.

"We are glad that veterans will continue to have access to care without interruption and that the VA will be able to improve the delivery of care by addressing critical infrastructure and medical staffing needs," Sens. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., and Jon Tester, D-Mont., said in a statement.

Shulkin praised the agreement and urged the House to act swiftly. The legislation "will greatly benefit veterans," he said.

Still, while the agreement may avert a shutdown to Choice, the early disputes over funding may signal bigger political fights to come.

During the 2016 campaign, Trump had criticized the VA for long wait times and mismanagement, saying he would give veterans more options in seeing outside providers. At an event Tuesday night in Ohio, Trump said he would triple the number of veterans "seeing the doctor of their choice" as part of an upcoming VA overhaul.

His comments followed a warning by the leader of the Veterans of Foreign Wars against any Trump administration effort to "privatize" the VA. Speaking Monday at its national convention in New Orleans, outgoing VFW National Commander Brian Duffy criticized the initial House plan as violating Trump's campaign promise to VFW that it "would remain a public system, because it is a public trust."

Shulkin announced the budget shortfall last month, citing unexpected demand from veterans for private care and poor budget planning. To slow spending, the department last month instructed VA medical centers to limit the number of veterans it sent to private doctors.

"This situation underscores exactly why Congress needs to pass broader and more permanent Choice reforms. Even after they finish scrambling to fund this flawed program, too many veterans will still be trapped in a failing system and will be unable to seek care outside the VA when they want to or need to," said Dan Caldwell, policy director of the conservative Concerned Veterans for America.

Currently, more than 30 percent of VA appointments are in the private sector, up from fewer than 20 percent in 2014, as the VA's more than 1,200 health facilities struggle to meet growing demands for medical care.

The VA has an annual budget of nearly $167 billion.

America Only Loc: From the right hand of God

Trump has always pushed for us vets...love him for it, too!

viking747

One night Hillary got a message that a member of the Supreme Court died. She called up President Trump and asked if she could take his place? He said I don't mind but that's really up to the mortician.

theotts

Was his attack on John McCain sticking up for vets? How about Kizr Khan?
Trumkopf is a narcissistic prick. He doesn't "push" for anyone.
Sad that so many v**ers are so easily duped.

hoosierwarrior

If you want to know what a single payer system would look like; just look at the VA. Then look at your tax statement, now imagine a tax increase of at least 20%, if not more, to pay for the cost of the system. We must all remember that nothing is really free, there is a cost to be had somewhere.

theotts

And compare that to your health insurance premiums, co-pays, exclusions, caps and overhead.
Medicare administrative costs are less than half those for private insurance.

pafret Loc: Northeast

Given the revelations about songbird McCain who received a P**********l pardon for treason, Trump was right. What politician isn't a Narcissistic Prick? That's the nature of the beast.

lpnmajor Loc: Arkansas

How many different healthcare systems do we need? We have an active duty healthcare system, with amply funded and staffed hospitals and clinics all over the world, keeping our active duty forces in peak health. We have the veterans healthcare system, which hasn't had any significant investment since 1980, is chronically understaffed, underfunded and does not have nearly enough facilities to meet war time demand. Then we have the civilian for profit system, which concentrates facilities around major city hubs, offers top dollar to specialists. Then lastly, we have the non profit system which struggles to provide even basic care in rural areas, indeed, tries to cover everyone not able to travel to a major city for care, and which is also understaffed and underfunded, and in many cases - closed outright. What is wrong with this picture?

There are now far more Veterans than active duty forces, thanks in large part to our decades long wars, and the Government made ZERO effort to ramp up VA resources when it realized the wars would not end in a year or two. In fact, the Government would have continued to ignore the plight of veterans, had a whistle blower not gone public....even though the Government was well aware of the circumstances before then.

The solution seems obvious to me: instead of trying to fix a broken VA system, fix a system where Veterans actually live. Begin funding a rural America healthcare delivery system, reopen city and county hospitals and clinics, staffing them by offering incentives to healthcare professionals, such as forgiveness of student loans, paying for education in return for X number of years of service ( like the military does ), etc. Treating Veterans, with a few exceptions, is no different than treating civilians, and may be done in the same facilities. The current cost of untreated Americans due to the unavailability of care is staggering, dwarfing the cost of basic treatment for everyone else, so providing access to care LOCALLY, saves far more than it costs at the end of the day. It's a no brainer.

Oldsailor65 Loc: Iowa

****************************************************************
Funny

viking747

You are the one easily duped. John McCain took a million dollars from Saudi Arabia you uniformed putz. He is not a good example of a veteran. Khan was a setup by Hillary. That's enough name calling unless you are about 12 and that's the best you have.

Oldsailor65 Loc: Iowa

************************************

viking747

Thanks old sailor. Maybe we scuttled him that time.

boatbob2

I paid for my VA Disability,with Agent ORANGE 100% disability. I had started my own company,and was making VERY good money ( and paying taxes on it) when I got Cancer of the vocal cords,have to use a machine to talk. so dont say that we are taking advantage of the system.....

bestpal38 Loc: Cedar City, Utah

Screw John Mccain

viking747

God Bless boatbob2 you deserve all the benefits available.