Veterans could see private doctors under new recommendations

The Veterans Affairs Commission on Care released their final report July 5, a culmination of an investigation into better healthcare practices after the 2014 scandal veterans hospitals waiting time scandal.

The report called the care available to veterans “inconsistent” and sometimes “compromised,” prompting the 15-member commission to offer 17 alternatives to the current system.

The biggest proposed change, according to the New York Times, would mean including private-sector doctors in a Veterans Health Administration health system. Military and VA doctors would also be part of them network. The hope is that by expanding the network of doctors available to veterans under the VA system, veterans could see doctors more quickly and closer to home. The commission estimated that 60 percent of veterans could be seeing private doctors within 18 years.

The downside is the new changes could cost the VA $100 billion.

The Congress-created commission also recommended updating digitized records and quickly closing unused facilities.

Check out the whole story at the New York Times.