Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Core VA Services Neglected In Trump's Budget, Democrats Say
The Associated Press: Democrats Criticize Trump's Budget Plan As Hurting VA Care
Congressional Democrats on Thursday sharply criticized President Donald Trump's proposed budget for the Department of Veterans Affairs, saying it would harm veterans by rapidly expanding private care while neglecting core VA hospitals and programs. The report from top Democrats on the Senate and House committees overseeing the VA pointed to proposed double-digit increases to expand veterans' access to private doctors as funding for VA services remains mostly flat. (Yen, 6/15)
In other news —
The Associated Press: Ex-VA Exec ‘Astounded’ By Cost Of Hospital
A former Veterans Affairs Department executive who was harshly criticized by Congress for massive cost overruns at a new Colorado VA medical center said he was never told the price had ballooned to more than $1.7 billion before he left the agency, and does not know how it happened. “I’m just astounded, quite frankly, I’m absolutely astounded,” Glenn Haggstrom told The Associated Press in a rare interview. Haggstrom, who was the VA’s top construction official when the project nearly collapsed amid legal disputes and skyrocketing costs, said the last estimate he heard from the builder before he was removed from the project was about $890 million. (Elliott, 6/15)
