Sean,
Last Friday, President Barack Obama visited the Phoenix VA hospital with Secretary Bob McDonald to meet with veterans service organizations for a round-table discussion, where he proposed a "veterans committee" to improve service at the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Sadly, anyone who has been following the problems at the VA knows that the last thing it needs is another committee that spends its time telling the VA what it's doing wrong. Now is the time for action.For reform. While it was a positive gesture for the President to visit the Phoenix VA, this administration, along with VA Secretary McDonald, has shown little resolve for tangible and substantive reform.
Luckily, we have a solution: the Veterans Independence Act, which lays out concrete plans to bring accountability, choice and timely care to veterans.
A key aspect of these reforms is a restructuring of the Veterans Health Administration, separating its payor and provider entities into two different institutions.
But what does that mean, exactly?
The VHA's payor institution would function as a health insurance program,while the provider institution would run the brick and mortar hospitals and medical facilities that currently serve veterans.
Why does separating these entities matter when the VA is already providing these services?
By separating these functions and creating two separate organizations, VA hospitals would be freed from the bureaucratic red tape and political considerations that currently prevent effective management of their facilities and resources.
These changes would also allow these hospitals to compete with facilities in the private sector -- improving the quality of care for the veterans they serve.
These are undeniably huge steps we're asking the VA to take, but if the agency's goal is truly to serve America's veterans as well as they deserve, it would put the needs of the veterans before its own -- and the Veterans Independence Act provides the tools they need to do it.
To read all of our recommendations in the Veterans Independence Act, view the full Fixing Veterans Health Care Report.
In pursuit of meaningful reform,
Dan Caldwell
Veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan
Legislative and Political Director, Concerned Veterans for America
 |
|
|
|
|
No comments:
Post a Comment
Do you have something to say?