Report Reignites 'VA Choice' Debate

Twelve of fifteen commissioners appointed by Congress and the president to propose reforms to veterans' healthcare have endorsed 18 "bold" steps to transform the system, but in the end rejected a push to dismantle it and to shift most veterans' care into the private sector. And yet, say critics of the Commission on Care, including several veteran organizations, its final report released Tuesday still proposes to expand veterans' rights to choose outside healthcare providers, enough to put traditional VA healthcare at significant risk over time. The danger, opponents contend, is that a steady shift of patients from VA to private sector care by relaxing "choice" rules could explode VA spending, in turn forcing Congress to scrimp on resources for VA-provided care, including cutting edge specialty programs for the most disabled vets. For more details, see this Military Advantage post.