WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump's expansion of a program
aimed at steering more veterans to private health care is getting an $8.9
billion boost as part of the massive government spending bill approved by the
House, setting up a potential battle over the direction of the Veterans Affairs
Department.
The deal provides $81 billion for VA medical care to treat
9.3 million veterans, including the $8.9 billion for private care under a law
passed last year expanding the Veterans Choice program. Another $11.3 billion
is on tap for private care in 2021.
Major veterans groups have cautioned against
"cannibalizing" VA programs to pay for Choice, which they worry could
lead to privatization of VA.
The program gives veterans wider access to private care when
they have endured lengthy wait times or the treatment was not what they had
expected. The price tag could soar as the expanded program takes hold, putting
the VA at risk of future budget shortfalls.
Democratic presidential contenders including Vermont Sen. Bernie
Sanders and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren have urged reinvestment in the
VA over expanded private care options. Former Vice President Joe Biden and Pete
Buttigieg, a mayor of South Bend, Indiana, have said they will roll back or
change some of the Trump administration's rules on Choice.
"As the increasing need for medical care by wounded,
ill and injured veterans and their family caregivers is being forced to fit
under tight budget caps, we are concerned necessary resources could be shifted
away from the VA healthcare system, which independent research has shown
provides higher quality care than the private sector," said Joy Ilem,
national legislative director for Disabled American Veterans.
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