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ARMED FORCES NEWS |
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Committee Seeks VA Medicare Payments "Federal health care funds should go to the actual providers of health care services, and that includes VA health care," said Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Chris Smith, R-N.J., at a hearing for H.R. 4939. The bill would allo premiums paid by veterans for Medicare Part B coverage to be transferred to the Department of Veterans Affairs health care system if those veterans are treated at VA facilities. The VA provides care to millions of Medicare-eligible veterans, many of whom pay a monthly premium to Medicare but receive all of their health care services through VA health care, said Smith. As a result, he said, the VA faces increasingly serious health care budget shortfalls because of the funding misallocation. Medicare-eligible veterans who enroll in VA health care would remain fully eligible for Medicare services, and Part B premiums (currently $54 per month) could not be increased due to this transfer. |
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