ARLINGTON, Va.—Concerned Veterans for America (CVA) National Grassroots Liaison Josh Stanwitz released the following statement in support of The Veterans Health Care Freedom Act (H.R. 2910), introduced Friday by Rep. Biggs.
“CVA supports this commonsense measure to eliminate some of the barriers veterans face in getting the quality health care they deserve. Sadly, since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the VA has canceled or delayed nearly 20 million veterans’ appointments. Not only would this legislation empower veterans with freedom over their own health care decisions, it would also begin to eliminate the mounting backlog of appointments as more veterans can be seen by providers in their own communities while also freeing up VA resources to serve more veterans who choose their VA facility for care. It’s a winning proposition for the VA and the veterans it serves.”
If passed, The Veterans Health Care Freedom Act would carry out a pilot program to improve the ability of veterans to access medical care in medical facilities of VA and in the community by providing the veterans the ability to choose health care providers. This legislation is based on the bi-partisan Commission on Care recommendation.
BACKGROUND
The VA MISSION Act was developed with the goal of better integrating the VA with community health care providers, fixing structural issues with the VA’s outside care programs, and ultimately improving access to care while expanding the health care options available to veterans through the VA.
Notably, it was also endorsed by over 30 veteran service organizations (VSO) and was passed with overwhelming bipartisan support before being signed into law by President Trump in June 2018.
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