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THURSDAY, May 24, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Patients served by the beleaguered Veterans Affairs health system may have wider access to private care, thanks to a bill approved Wednesday by the Senate. President Donald Trump is known to support the bill, which now awaits his signature.<\/p>\n
The Senate passed the bill on a 92 to 5 vote, thereby also avoiding a shutdown of the VA’s Choice private-sector program, the Associated Press<\/i> said. That program was expected to run out of funding by next week, which would have necessitated cutbacks in care to veterans.<\/p>\n
The new bill would open up access to private doctors for veterans who don’t feel they are getting the care they expect within the VA — with the approval of a VA health care provider. This would include situations where roadblocks to care exist, such as lengthy wait times or VA medical centers that lack services required by a particular patient.<\/p>\n
“Senate passage today of legislation reforming VA Choice is a victory for our veterans — continuing our commitment to honor their service and providing them with the best care available,” David O. Barbe, M.D., president of the American Medical Association, said in a May 23 statement. “The American Medical Association believes every veteran deserves timely, accessible, high quality health care — whether within or outside the VA system. The bipartisan leadership from the Veterans Affairs committees in both chambers produced a bill that is worthy of our veterans.”<\/p>\n
AMA Statement<\/a><\/p>\n