Conservative Activists’ Next Health Goal After ACA Failure? Privatizing Veterans’ Care
Advocates want to make it easier for veterans to seek care from private doctors, but the debate is fraught, with traditional groups the American Legion firmly on the side of guarding the Veterans Affairs system that they helped build. Meanwhile, a battle over whether the Pentagon can approve drugs and medical devices has been brewing on Capitol Hill this week.
The New York Times:
With Obamacare Fight Lost, Conservatives Turn To Veterans’ Care
With their hopes of repealing the Affordable Care Act dashed for now, deep-pocketed conservative activists have turned their attention to a smaller but still potent new effort: allowing private health care to compete with Veterans Affairs hospitals for the patronage of the nation’s veterans. Concerned Veterans for America, a little-known advocacy group backed by the conservative billionaire industrialists Charles G. and David H. Koch, is pressing Republicans to make it easier for veterans to see private doctors at government expense. The group’s voice had been lonely until recently, when a raft of Koch-connected advocacy organizations and other conservative allies joined the effort. (Fandos, 11/9)
The Washington Post:
Controversy Erupts Over Plan To Let Pentagon Authorize Unapproved Drugs For Battlefield Use
Should the Pentagon be allowed to authorize the use of unapproved drugs and medical devices on an emergency basis for combat soldiers? That question has sparked a furious battle this week among some of Washington's biggest power players, with the Defense Department and its congressional advocates on one side and the Food and Drug Administration and the health committees on the other. (McGinley, 11/9)
And in other news —
The Associated Press Fact Check:
Trump Falls Short On Promises To Veterans
President Donald Trump is pointing to big achievements in advance of Veterans Day on his campaign promise to fix the Department of Veterans Affairs, just 10 months into his administration. But several of the initiatives are far from bold or as immediate as claimed. In a two-page fact sheet this week, the White House declares that "tremendous progress has been made in a short period of time." (11/10)
KQED:
What Vets Want at the End of Life Is Very Different From What Civilians Want
Symptoms of terminal illnesses, like pain or breathlessness, can trigger flashbacks, making vets feel as threatened as they did on the battlefield. ...Some vets see their pain or PTSD as retribution for their work in the line of duty. (Dembosky, 11/9)
