VA Privatization Bill Threatens Closure of Key Facilities

Republican architects of the VA MISSION Act want to fast-track a commission that would have expansive authority to close VA hospitals. By Suzanne Gordon & Russell Lemle for The American Prospect At a June 20 House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs hearing, legislators considered H.R. 3083, sponsored by ranking member Phil Roe (R-TN). One of the architects […]

Trump’s Under-the-Radar Push to Dismantle Veterans Health Care

New legislation threatens to dismantle the most successful American experiment in government-delivered health care. By Suzanne Gordon and Jasper Craven for The American Prospect Last June, President Trump signed the VA Mission Act, commonly considered the biggest overhaul of veterans’ health care in a generation. Mission was designed to replace the hastily enacted Veterans Choice […]

VA to shift billions of dollars to private care for veterans

By Jennifer Steinhauer and Dave Philipps for The New York Times, republished on Rise Up Times WASHINGTON – The Department of Veterans Affairs is preparing to shift billions of dollars from government-run veterans’ hospitals to private health care providers, setting the stage for the biggest transformation of the veterans’ medical system in a generation. Under […]

Trump Administration Moves Forward on VA Privatization

By Suzanne Gordon for The American Prospect Under the guise of reducing veteran suicides, the Trump administration has released a plan that could radically reshape veteran care in the United States. The stated goal is to expand mental health services for newly transitioned veterans, the proposal, which administration officials approved on May 31, contains provisions that could […]

Andrew J. Cohen: The VA is working just fine, thank you very much

By Andrew J. Cohen for The Spokesman-Review “A government-run, single-payer, bureaucratic health-care system that doesn’t work.” That’s how Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., described the Department of Veterans Affairs last month on “Meet the Press.” Johnson’s remarks are typical of Republicans in Congress, who have made no secret of their intention to privatize the department. President […]