Acting Ranking Member Takano and Committee Democrats Question Leaders from the Commission on Care on the Path Forward for Veterans’ Health Care
Washington D.C. – Yesterday, Acting Ranking Member Mark Takano and the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Democrats received testimony from the leadership of the Commission on Care, a panel created by Congress to study VA Health Care and provide long-term policy recommendations to ensure it serves veterans effectively.
The Committee heard from Nancy Schlichting, Chair of the Commission on Care, and Dr. Toby Cosgrove, the Vice-Chair of the Commission, about how to support and improve VA health care over the next 20 years. Democrats praised the thorough analysis of the Commission, which is critical to developing meaningful solutions, but raised concerns about the implementation of some of its recommendations.
The Commission’s first recommendation, to create a new VHA Care System that would dramatically expand the number of veterans receiving care at private facilities, is opposed by many Veterans Service Organizations (VSOs) that warn of its potential impact on veterans. A recent poll conducted by the Vote Vets Foundation found that 64 percent of veterans oppose privatizing the VA health system.
“It is clear to me that the status quo, the VA as we know it, is unacceptable. That said, I don’t believe that completely remaking the VA is the right answer,” said Ranking Member Takano at the hearing. “There is an important balance between transforming the VA while maintaining the services and support that millions of veterans rely on. Shifting resources to pay for the privatization of care will have impacts throughout the spectrum of care for our veterans.”
At the same time, Democrats expressed support for many of the Commission’s ideas for modernizing and improving veterans’ care and experience, including modernizing the VA’s health information technology system, improving human resources and VA leadership training, working to eliminate health care disparities, and updating the way VA manages facilities and leases.
The hearing was an important step in the ongoing effort to reform the VA Health System and provide veterans the care and support they deserve.
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