VA Health Care Deal Reached; Miller, Sanders Plan to Announce Monday (Updated)

Looks like something is brewing concerning the VA problems.

Seems an announcement is coming that might allow veterans with wait time problems and long distances from VA facilities to use Medicare doctors !!

This is apparently coming from Senator Bernie Sanders and Congressman Jeff Miller.

A VA "overhaul" would include money to hire more doctors and nurses also, among other details......

Good news? and will this actually work in favor of veterans ?

What could go wrong this time ?

Updated 8 p.m. | A VA health care deal has been reached after a weekend of negotiating to resolve differences between the House and Senate.

House Veterans’ Affairs Chairman Jeff Miller, R-Fla., and Senate Veterans’ Affairs Chairman Bernard Sanders, I-Vt., are planning to outline their agreement on a measure that would overhaul veterans health programs on Monday, aides said Sunday. The two lawmakers have scheduled a news conference for 1:30 p.m. Monday.

According to a draft of the agreement obtained by CQ Roll Call, the negotiators agreed to $15 billion in emergency mandatory spending — $10 billion for a new private care option for veterans and another $5 billion for improvements within the VA, like hiring doctors and nurses and upgrading facilities. That’s $5 billion more than Miller offered last week and about $10 billion less than Sanders sought.

VA Health Care Deal Reached; Miller, Sanders Plan to Announce Monday (Updated)

An overhaul is only the start. It would never be complete unless each and every congressman or woman who ignored the steady stream of concerns and complaints regarding the abuse and neglect are included in the purge. Not being a veteran myself, I was invited to a VA hospital a few years ago for the first time. All these "recent" issues were old news already and the conditions to which our American heroes were subjected to were deplorable and overt. I was told then that numerous semi-organized efforts had been made to those in congress and oversight only to fall on deaf ears. For a nation that prides itself in legacy and appearances, this new action should be met with great fanfare as opposed to the huge "so what" I hear far too often from a tired and demoralized citizenry.

I, for one, will cheer at the top pf my lungs for those deserving veterans who have been left defenseless and ostracized.

Assuming, of course, true reform actually occurs.

Unless they can trim the red tape, you can throw money at it till the Federal reserve says that's it were broke... and it will never more than marginally improve.

a reply to: xuenchen

Its a start and hopefully it will work. While I am not a fan of obamacare / socialized medicine I do believe members of our armed forces should have access to top medical care at no to little charge. I also think they should be able to use any hospital.

With that said I still want to see the VA investigated and people held accountable, up to and including death investigations of those who died waiting to be seen.

End bonuses, especially when they are having funding shortfalls.

Getting bonuses when members of our military die because of wait times, with those bonuses being earned by falsifying wait times, is criminal.

Updates;

Veterans Deal Expands Medical Care, Includes $15 Billion

If Bernie Sanders likes it I can get behind it too. Hell, I might even call my congressman to support it.

originally posted by: links234
If Bernie Sanders likes it I can get behind it too. Hell, I might even call my congressman to support it.

I bet he had to make very deep concessions.