{"id":31695,"date":"2017-11-21T20:08:38","date_gmt":"2017-11-21T20:08:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/uncategorized\/2017\/11\/21\/proposal-would-create-a-new-vets-insurance-program-bypassing-va\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T02:42:05","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T02:42:05","slug":"proposal-would-create-a-new-vets-insurance-program-bypassing-va","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/veterans\/2017\/11\/21\/proposal-would-create-a-new-vets-insurance-program-bypassing-va\/","title":{"rendered":"Proposal would create a new vets insurance program, bypassing VA"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WASHINGTON \u2014 A Colorado lawmaker on Tuesday introduced legislation to create a veterans health insurance program to allow them to skip the Department of Veterans Affairs entirely and get private-sector medical care at taxpayers\u2019 expense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis bill throws out the idea of acceptable patient wait times and eliminates the requirement of the veteran to ask for VA permission to use civilian medical providers,\u201d said Rep. Doug Lamborn, a Republican and former member of the House Veterans\u2019 Affairs Committee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt gives veterans full authority to use the existing VA system or not.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The move comes amid a fierce debate on Capitol Hill among veterans groups, conservative activists and VA officials over the future role of federal veterans\u2019 health care and how to fulfill federal responsibilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next week, lawmakers from the House veterans committee are expected to advance with bipartisan support a new proposal to overhaul the VA\u2019s community care programs, giving more access to veterans to go outside the department for medical appointments with federal dollars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With that plan, which has received criticism from some veterans groups for pulling away money from existing VA health services, VA doctors would still be the primary care coordinator for veteran patients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

VA Secretary David Shulkin has proposed going even further, lifting limits on walk-in services for a host of ailments in an effort to alleviate pressure on VA systems and free up private-sector access for veterans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal this week, Shulkin said he wants to make the VA\u2019s hospital system compete with private-sector providers. \u201cThe direction I\u2019m taking this is to give veterans more choice in their care and be the decision maker for their care, which I fundamentally believe is a concept that has to be implemented,\u201d Shulkin told the newspaper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s a position advanced by conservative activists in recent years but derided by Democratic lawmakers and major veterans organizations as \u201cprivatizing\u201d the department. Shulkin has pushed back on the accusation repeatedly, saying he still envisions a critical and enduring role for VA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lamborn\u2019s legislation would take a step beyond Shulkin\u2019s proposal. The legislation creates a new health insurance system similar to to the military\u2019s Tricare Standard program, allowing them to go to doctors outside the VA to receive a wide range of care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGiving them options to choose their health care plans and doctors is empowering,\u201d Lamborn said in a statement. \u201cThis bill means veterans, especially those with extreme disabilities, can expect to have their needs taken care of quickly and efficiently. It\u2019s good policy and makes sense.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether veterans will receive faster \u2014 or better \u2014 medical appointments outside the VA system has been a key point of disagreement among veterans\u2019 advocates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Critics argue that private-sector physicians will not be able to easily accept tens of thousands of new veterans as patients and that many doctors unfamiliar with war wounds like traumatic brain injury and burn pit exposure are ill-equipped to offer the same full spectrum of health monitoring of trained VA staff.<\/p>\n\n\n\t