Trump Describes Veterans’ Health Care Reforms That Have Yet To Be Implemented As ‘Big Success’
Fact checkers from both The Associated Press and The New York Times examine President Donald Trump's statements about the Veterans Choice program and other efforts to improve care for veterans. Meanwhile, lawmakers fight over how to pay for the VA bill they just passed.
The Associated Press Fact Check:
Trump Exaggerates VA Gains In Veterans Speech
President Donald Trump is exaggerating the progress he's made on his campaign promise to provide veterans with quick medical treatment from private doctors if they're dissatisfied with Department of Veterans Affairs care. Speaking at a Veterans of Foreign Wars convention Tuesday, Trump prematurely described VA benefits that have yet to be implemented as immediately available and a "big success." (Yen, 7/25)
The New York Times Fact Check:
Trump’s Confusing Claim About The Veterans Choice Program
Mr. Trump is confusing an existing program for veterans’ health care with recently enacted reforms, and exaggerating the impact of the changes. The Veterans Choice Program was created in 2014 — not under Mr. Trump — after the scandal of hidden waiting lists at Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals. Under the program, veterans who do not live within 40 miles of a department hospital or face wait times of more than 30 days for care could seek private health care funded by the government. (Qiu, 7/24)
The Wall Street Journal:
Congress Passed VA Bill But Now Debates How To Pay For It
A dispute has broken out among lawmakers and the White House over how to pay for a newly expanded Department of Veterans Affairs health-care program, stalling negotiations over the first big chunk of the next fiscal year’s government funding. The fight centers on whether Congress should go around a two-year budget deal to pay for the overhaul of veterans’ health-care programs signed into law last month or cut money elsewhere to stay within budget limits lawmakers agreed to in February. (Peterson and Kesling, 7/24)
And in other news —
The New York Times:
V.A. Shuns Medical Marijuana, Leaving Vets To Improvise
Some of the local growers along the coast here see it as an act of medical compassion: Donating part of their crop of high-potency medical marijuana to ailing veterans, who line up by the dozens each month in the echoing auditorium of the city’s old veterans’ hall to get a ticket they can exchange for a free bag. One Vietnam veteran in the line said he was using marijuana-infused oil to treat pancreatic cancer. Another said that smoking cannabis eased the pain from a recent hip replacement better than prescription pills did. Several said that a few puffs temper the anxiety and nightmares of post-traumatic stress disorder. (Philipps, 7/25)
