Printer Friendly Page
---------------
DEMOCRATIC PRESS RELEASE
June 20, 2007
House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Holds Hearing on Health Care Equity
for All Veterans
VA Under Secretary for Health to Provide Report
on Department Needs for Providing Health Care to Priority 8 Veterans
Washington, D.C. – The House of Representatives Committee on Veterans’
Affairs, led by Chairman Bob Filner (D-CA), today held a hearing on
Priority Group 8 veterans. The hearing focused on the impact of the
decision on veterans and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health
care system to ban enrollment of priority 8 veterans. The committee also
discussed whether the VA should continue this enrollment ban and the
effect of potentially bringing Priority Group 8 veterans back into the
VA health care system. Chairman Filner requested a report from the VA to
detail the cost, including infrastructure and employee needs, for the VA
to provide heath care to Priority Group 8 veterans.
The passage of the Veterans Health Care Eligibility Reform Act of 1996
required the VA to establish priority categories and operate a patient
enrollment system to manage access to VA health care if sufficient
resources were not available to serve all veterans seeking care.
Originally there were seven Priority Groups, however, the Department of
Veterans Affairs Health Care Programs Enhancement Act of 2001 required
the VA to establish Priority Group 8. Priority Group 8 veterans fall
above the income threshold established by the VA and above the
geographic income threshold established by the Department of Housing and
Urban Development. Veterans in Priority Group 8 do not have
service-connected disabilities. The administration, in January 2003,
banned the enrollment of new Priority 8 veterans, a policy it has kept
in place since.
“Taking care of veterans is a continued cost of war,” said Chairman
Filner. “It is unacceptable to ration care for our veterans. Any planned
military surge must be accompanied by a surge for health care for
veterans. We must be prepared to serve those that have served us – and
we are not prepared at this time."
The witnesses delivering testimony before the Committee included Dr.
Stephanie Woolhandler, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard
Medical School; Carl Blake, national legislative director of Paralyzed
Veterans of America; Adrian Atizado, assistant national legislative
director for Disabled American Veterans; Peter S. Gaytan, director of
the Veterans Affairs & Rehabilitation Commission for The American
Legion; John Rowan, national president for Vietnam Veterans of America;
and the Honorable Dr. Michael J. Kussman, undersecretary for health at
the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Witness Dr. Stephanie Woolhandler testified that in 2004, 1.8 million
military veterans neither had health insurance nor received ongoing care
at VA facilities. This number has increased by 290,000 since 2000. “A
disturbingly high number of uninsured veterans reported needing medical
care and not being able to get it within the past year,” stated Dr.
Woolhandler. “More than a quarter of uninsured veterans failed to get
needed care due to costs. Among uninsured veterans, 44.1% had not seen a
doctor or nurse within the past year.” Dr. Woolhandler’s testimony was
based on analyses of multiple years of data from two annual national
surveys: The Current Population Survey and the National Health Interview
Survey.
Witness John Rowan commented that “combat zones can expose
servicemembers to long-term health risks that are not immediately
diagnosed. When veterans are not eligible for enrollment in the VA
health care system, long-term health is negatively impacted if the
veteran does not have access to primary health care. Veterans with Agent
Orange exposure or traumatic brain injury, for example, may not have
immediate symptoms and be classified as Priority Group 8 veterans. Once
symptoms appear, these veterans are subject to delays when they file
claims and are still without access to VA health care. There is evidence
that once they are in the system, these Category 8 veterans may raise up
in priority level and qualify for service-connected care.”
“This ban on Priority Group 8 veterans was meant to be temporary,” said
Chairman Filner. “Dr. Kussman agreed to provide a report to the
Committee that will detail the needs of the Department to ensure access
and quality of care for Priority 8 veterans, including the VA’s
estimates as to necessary facility and infrastructure improvements and
increased staffing levels. It is time our nation provides the option for
VA health care to all of our veterans for their contributions to our
country.”
---------------
Larry Scott
Click here to make VA Watchdog dot Org your homepage
