Maine Officials Expect More than 50% Increase in Number of Veterans Seeking Health Services

Officials at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Togus, Maine, and its five clinics statewide expect a 53% increase in the number of people seeking medical services at those facilities over the next 10 years, due in part to an aging veteran population and gaps in health insurance coverage, the AP/Portland Press Herald reports. The number of patients seeking treatment is expected to increase from about 40,000 currently to more than 60,000 by 2012. Jim Simpson, a spokesperson for the Togus VA center, attributed the anticipated increase to coverage gaps in private health insurance and Medicare. Simpson also said that the number of Vietnam-era veterans entering the VA medical system is rising. While patient volume is increasing, the Togus center is experiencing a shortage of providers. Currently, about 5,800 veterans are on the waiting list to see a physician, and some patients have to wait a year to receive an appointment, Simpson said. To address the situation, officials are considering plans to contract with community clinics and hospitals to treat veterans, Simpson said (AP/Portland Press Herald, 11/27). In June, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced plans to overhaul its health care system and analyze 1,200 VA health care facilities in an attempt to shift funds from aging, inefficient facilities in areas where the number of veterans is declining so that the agency can offer additional services in communities with a growing number of veterans (Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, 6/6).