A task force organized by Concerned Veterans for America said the VA should begin offering subsidized private insurance to veterans and transform its healthcare department into a nonprofit corporation instead of a government agency. The move comes in response to the scandal involving healthcare delays and data manipulation at VA facilities first reported by CNN.
READ: VA chief apologizes for ‘misstatement’
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, supported the proposed reforms, saying VA healthcare could improve by adopting the competition and flexibility of private healthcare.
“Bureaucrats at the VA are not commanding officers. They should never have the authority to order around our returning heroes,” Rubio said at a policy meeting Thursday. “As soon as the VA is forced to compete with the private sector providers, it will increase the efficiency, the service and its innovation.”
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In addition to calling the VA to offer private health insurance, Concerned Veterans for America proposed requiring the VA to report detailed data on its medical costs to Congress and increasing coverage and access for veterans with combat-related injuries, according to a report released Thursday.
The report included polling data that found 77% of veterans believe they should be able to choose a private physician even if this requires out-of-pocket costs.
Concerned Veterans for America’s legislative director Dan Caldwell said on CNN’s “The Lead” Tuesday the current reforms in the VA have not adequately addressed healthcare shortcomings.
“Quite frankly, this ‘MyVA’ reform plan that secretary has put out, it is a joke. Making VA employees wear these ‘I CARE’ pins and that’s somehow evidence of reform, it’s a joke,” Caldwell said. “We need real reform.”
