Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
In Kansas, Program To Give Vets Health Options Drives Up Hospital's Uncompensated Care Costs
Kansas Health Institute: Veterans Choice Expands Health Care Options, Creates Billing Confusion
A program designed to ease access to health care for veterans has led to millions of dollars in uncompensated care for a Topeka hospital and paperwork snarls that have jeopardized the credit records of some Kansas veterans. Representatives of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs heard those comments and others during a town hall meeting on the Veterans Choice program Wednesday at the Colmery-O’Neil VA Medical Center in Topeka. The Veterans Choice program was born in 2014 out of a scandal at the Phoenix VA facility, where some veterans died while waiting for care. (Wingerter, 10/27)
Health News Florida: Free Dental Clinic For Veterans Already Full
A one-day, free dental clinic for military veterans will open its doors Friday to provide urgent care from root canals to tooth fillings. And there are no empty chairs. That’s because the second annual “Stars, Stripes and Smiles” event, organized by U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) and the West Pasco Dental Association, has already filled its allotted 75 slots. But veterans’ names are still being taken for a waiting list. (O"Brien, 10/27)
