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Smith and Evans want
legislation delayed pending joint agency review and report
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Until
all potential effects are considered, leaders of the House Veterans'
Affairs Committee said they will oppose legislation requiring military
retirees to make an irrevocable choice between military or VA health care
systems.
Chairman Chris Smith (NJ-4) and Ranking Democrat Member Lane Evans (IL-17)
wrote VA Secretary Anthony J. Principi and Defense Secretary Donald H.
Rumsfeld on July 13th urging joint consultation by the two agencies with
an outside organization to study the proposal. A similar letter was also
sent to House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense Chairman Jerry Lewis
(CA-40) and Ranking Democrat Member John P. Murtha (PA-12) asking them to
delay action until VA and the Pentagon submit a joint report to Congress.
"On its face this would seem to be a positive step toward a more
efficient use of scarce federal health resources," the letter stated,
"but virtually nothing is known about the potential effects of the
proposal."
President Bush first unveiled the proposal in his budget message, A
Blueprint for New Beginnings. Under the proposal, a military retiree could
chose either the VA or military health care system for a defined period,
but not both systems.
Chairman Smith and Ranking Member Evans want the proposal studied in
comparison with coordinated services for veterans with dual eligibilities
for VA and military health care, and with other arrangements that would
not limit beneficiary choices. Other areas to study would include:
· The effectiveness of comparable or similar methods in the private
sector and in Medicare or Medicaid;
· The acceptability to the beneficiary concerned;
· Timing and cost of implementation;
· Health policy, and;
· Budgetary, information technology, and workload implications.
"This information would provide a sound basis for Congress to
consider legislation to authorize such a program in the future," the
letter stated.
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