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NEBRASKA VETERANS QUESTION CHANGES IN EMERGENCY
CARE RULES -- VA cancels contract with local
hospital
leaving vets fighting a battle for healthcare.
George Royse addresses his concerns
regarding changes in the way the Veterans Affairs Nebraska-Western
Iowa Health Care System handles emergency medical care. Royse was
one of about 120 veterans and family members to meet with VA
officials Wednesday during the first of two meetings to discuss
the changes. (photo: Independent / Lane Hickenbottom) |
Story here...
http://www.theindependent
.com/stories/08162007/new_va16.shtml
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Battling for health care
By Meredith Gardner
meredith.gardner@theindependent.com
After asking more than a dozen questions and sharing anecdotes about
past experiences with the Veterans Affairs Nebraska-Western Iowa Health
Care System, some veterans felt satisfied with upcoming changes to the
way the VA handles health care locally.
Others, however, remained concerned about having to travel hundreds of
miles to Omaha to have surgery or be seen at a hospital.
"There's no resolution, apparently," said Del Shupe of Grand Island, a
disabled World War II veteran.
VA officials met with about 200 veterans and their family members
Wednesday to discuss the upcoming cancellation of the government
agency's health care contract with St. Francis Medical Center.
The VA hosted the two gatherings to answer questions about the upcoming
changes in emergency room and inpatient care changes that were
characterized as "relatively small" by Director Al Washko.
After Sept. 1, veterans who go to St. Francis for emergency care will
have to meet certain criteria before the VA will pay for their medical
bills.
The VA will automatically cover those who are seen for a service-related
medical condition, as it has in the past.
But those with problems unrelated to their military service will not
have emergency bills covered by the VA if they have any kind of health
insurance, including Medicare. Those without Medicare will be covered by
the Millennium Bill. Also, private practice doctors, instead of VA
physicians, will care for veterans as they are seen at St. Francis.
Those treated at the Grand Island hospital will be kept there until
their condition has stabilized, at which point they will have the option
of being transferred to the Omaha VA Medical Center.
If they go to Omaha, the VA will pay for their care. If they stay in
Grand Island, they will be responsible for coming up with the funds
through either insurance or personal means. This policy is not a change
in the VA's health care practices, Washko said.
The contract cancellation also means the VA will no longer pay the
emergency bills of residents of the Grand Island Veterans Home who go to
St. Francis for emergency care.
Most residents will be covered by Medicare instead, Washko said. But
Veterans Home residents without any kind of insurance are not included
in the Millennium Bill and will have to find their own way to pay. That
change is consistent with policies at the veterans homes in Norfolk and
Omaha.
The VA will still work with St. Francis on a fee basis, Washko said, and
the changes will bring care in the Grand Island area in line with the
national VA policy for health care.
Even with all the changes, veterans are urged to go to the nearest
emergency room if they believe they need immediate medical assistance.
Citing the inconvenience of having to travel to Omaha to stay in a
hospital, some asked the VA to re-open its Grand Island hospital or
allow veterans to stay at St. Francis on a more long-term basis.
Washko said that was not an option.
The Grand Island Veterans Affairs Medical Center closed its inpatient
facilities in 1997 because of an insufficient number of patients, Washko
said.
"The volume is not there to justify a hospital," he said.
While at one time St. Francis admitted up to a dozen veterans during the
weekdays, it now cares for about one veteran a week under the VA
contract, said St. Francis CEO Mike Gloor.
Washko attributed the decline in use of St. Francis to medical
advancements and the overall reduced length of hospital stays.
To improve local care, the VA has increased its number of full-time
health care employees and upgraded access to a number of services
available at the Grand Island outpatient clinic, including orthopedic,
urology and ophthalmology services, among others.
All veterans are urged to visit the outpatient clinic annually for
preventive care, especially since the VA may not pay the hospital bills
of veterans who have not been enrolled in the health care system for two
years.
Although it is a "terrible inconvenience," Washko said, the best care
for veterans is in Omaha.
Even so, veterans like Shupe said the arrangement is dissatisfying.
Shupe said he'd take going to World War II over enduring and trying to
find care for his diabetes, heart troubles, breathing problems and other
health issues.
"That was a hell of a lot easier than this battle," Shupe said.
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Larry Scott --
