Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Senators Hope To Hammer Out A Deal With White House On VA Choice Program
Modern Healthcare: Senate Committee Aims To Solidify VA Choice Reforms
The Senate Veterans Affairs' Committee is slated to have a busy week tackling some critical healthcare issues. The committee plans to kick-start stalled negotiations on VA Choice reforms that petered out late last year after Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) introduced a counter bill to legislation that the committee previously approved with bipartisan support. According to a committee aide, senators hope to hammer out a deal with the White House, where officials want something more in line with the Moran bill. President Donald Trump even spotlighted VA Choice in his State of the Union address last week, shortly after administration officials met with committee members to outline their ideas for a reform package. (Luthi, 2/3)
In other veterans health care news —
The Oregonian: VA Extends Home Health Care For Disabled Oregon Vet For 60 Days
Facing a federal lawsuit, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced Friday that it had reached an agreement to extend in-home health care through April for a Springfield veteran with Lou Gehrig's disease who needs around-the-clock care. Michael Williamson sued the federal agency on Jan. 23 in U.S. District Court in Eugene after a VA contract company notified him that his home health care of nearly 17 years would halt on Feb. 13 because it couldn't find caregivers, according to the suit. The company, New Horizons, contracts with the VA's medical facility in Roseburg. (Bernstein, 2/2)
