Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Nearly Four Times As Many Veterans Would Be Eligible For Private Care Under New 'Transformative' VA Rules
The New York Times: Veterans Will Have More Access To Private Health Care Under New V.A. Rules
Veterans who live as little as a 30-minute drive from a Veterans Affairs health care facility will instead be able to choose private care, the most significant change in rules released Wednesday as part of the Trump administration’s effort to fix years-old problems with the health system. Veterans who can prove they must drive for at least 30 minutes to a Department of Veterans Affairs facility will be allowed to seek primary care and mental health services outside the department’s system. Current law lets veterans use a private health care provider if they must travel 40 miles or more to a V.A. clinic. (Steinhauer, 1/30)
The Wall Street Journal: VA Issues New Rules Expanding Access To Private Care
The new rules, announced by VA Secretary Robert Wilkie, make it far easier for many veterans to turn to private clinics and hospitals. For instance, the rules slash the time a veteran is required to wait before opting out of the VA hospital system to use the private sector for an appointment, and would cut the maximum distance a veteran must travel to obtain care. Those changes are among the first tangible effects of a sweeping law passed last year that aimed to improve the way health care is delivered to veterans. (Kesling, 1/30)
USA Today: Veterans Get More Choices For Private Health Care In Proposed VA Rules
That would be a considerable expansion of eligibility standards, in which private options kick in for vets who have to wait 30 days or live 40 miles from a VA facility. The new rules would allow veterans who need urgent care to go to a private doctor without pre-authorization. If they go into effect, the rules would deliver on a presidential campaign promise made by Donald Trump to expand choices for veterans seeking health care outside the VA. (Slack, 1/30)
CQ: VA Proposes Standards For New Private Care Program
The Choice program currently allows veterans to see private providers if drive times exceed 40 miles or wait times exceed 30 days. Carlos Fuentes, legislative director for Veterans of Foreign Wars, has deja vu when thinking about the new proposal. “It’s unfortunate that the secretary did not incorporate our feedback, or incorporate us in any sense in the decision-making process,” he said. “And frankly, that means — and the result is — that the VA is repeating previous mistakes.” Fuentes' group would prefer standards tailored toward individualized regions or services rather than uniform drive and wait time standards. (Clason, 1/30)
The Hill: VA Unveils Proposal To Expand Private Health Care For Veterans
“Most Americans can already choose the health care providers that they trust, and President Trump promised that veterans would be able to do the same,” VA Secretary Robert Wilkie said in a statement Wednesday. “With VA’s new access standards, the future of the VA health care system will lie in the hands of veterans — exactly where it should be.” (Kheel, 1/30)
In other military and veterans' news —
WBUR: Benefits For Navy Victims Of Agent Orange – Just 50 Years Later
Navy veterans long denied VA benefits are declaring victory after a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. The court sided with the plaintiff, a Vietnam vet with cancer who sued the Department of Veterans Affairs, demanding it recognize that his health conditions were caused by Agent Orange. It took the government decades to acknowledge that the defoliant Agent Orange - widely used during the Vietnam War - was causing cancer and other ailments in veterans. (Lawrence, 1/30)
Reuters: Senate Hearings To Probe Unsafe Housing Of U.S. Military Families
Troubled by widespread health and safety hazards uncovered by a Reuters investigation into U.S. military housing, Congress will hold hearings next month to ensure that “what we’re seeing now can never happen again,” said Michigan Democrat Gary Peters, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. During the hearings, tentatively scheduled for Feb. 13, lawmakers will question the Department of Defense and private contractors who house thousands of U.S. military families on bases across the country, according to Senate staff familiar with the plans. (Schneyer and Pell, 1/30)
