by Catherine Tims
The U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) is long overdue for an update. There’s a plan for doing just that, and it’s sitting in Congress right now. But is health insurance for veterans included?
The VA has faced its fair share of criticism when it comes to helping war veterans here at home. Preventable patient deaths, unacceptable delays for patients seeking medical care at VA hospitals, and lavish rewards for senior executives are among the most notable discrepancies, according to the American Legion.
While it may seem obvious that our system for veteran health care needs an overhaul, exactly what to do about the health insurance component is up for debate.
The nation has been plagued by problems with the VA health care system for decades. In 2014, a report called Independent Assessment of the Health Care Delivery Systems and Management Processes of the Department of Veterans Affairs concluded that the only thing that would fix the system would be “system-wide reworking.”
We now have the Caring for our Heroes in the 21st Century Act, but it doesn’t necessarily focus on veteran health insurance.
What are the current options?
Under the current VA system, veterans’ health insurance is provided by the same people who also run the VA hospitals: the federal government. The government decides the health insurance costs and the cost of health care services, as well as how much the hospital doctors get paid.
For veterans, once they have their health insurance, they use their insurance cards to visit a VA hospital and see a VA doctor – the same ones that are run by the federal government.
The system was orchestrated during a time when the veteran population was far different from what it is today. And the demographics of the veterans, plus the nature of their injuries and situations, aren’t the only things which have radically transformed during the last century.
Our economy has changed, health care has changed drastically under the Affordable Care Act, and just about everything that makes up the VA health care system has seen significant change since the system was devised.
Looking ahead to future veteran health care options
Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers has proposed a new bill to Congress, called the Caring for our Heroes in the 21st Century Act. The bill reflects the need for our VA system to evolve, to come to terms with the enormous international changes that have resulted in our outdated, inefficient, and arguably harmful VA health care system.
One of the main details in the proposed bill is the separation of VA health insurance from the clinical functions of the VA system. This would be done by converting the VA system into a government-sponsored, not-for-profit enterprise, which would allow greater flexibility in responding to the very different needs of veterans in the 21st century.
Under the new plan, veterans would be able to use their health insurance to seek care from the private sector. Freed from having to deal with just one provider, they would be able to receive better health care when and where they need it. It may seem like a small step for the VA system, but it’s a huge step for veterans in America.