The Democrat Party has been terrible to our nation’s veterans.
They have long stood in the way of vital reforms to save veterans’ lives.
And Nancy Pelosi just took things a step further and betrayed every veteran in America.
While the $1.3 trillion omnibus spending bill was largely a disappointment to conservatives, there was an attempt to plug it with vital reforms.
One of those reforms is known as the CHOICE Act and would expand veterans’ access to free-market alternatives to the VA healthcare they currently receive.
This proposal would save the lives of many veterans who vitally need medical care that inefficacies at the VA have gotten in the way of.
But in a spiteful move to make President Trump look bad, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi stood in the way of the proposal being added to the omnibus bill.
While veterans’ advocates strongly support the bill, Democrats claim that it won’t fix the VA’s problems, as they don’t believe the free market is the best approach to veterans’ care.
As reported by Modern Healthcare:
“An attempt to get long-stalled reforms to VA Choice in the spending omnibus this week broke down because of opposition from House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), once again putting on hold legislation that would substantially open up private care to veterans.
VA Choice is currently limited to veterans who live more than 40 miles away from the nearest VA medical center or who would have to wait more than 30 days before they can get an appointment. Under the proposed reforms, veterans would not have to “enroll” in a community care program like with previous programs. All veterans would be able to work with their provider to determine the best way for them to get care based on their clinical need.
The reforms to the Choice program, which would hold VA clinics to certain codified care standards and let private and VA providers decide where veterans should seek treatment, were ultimately combined with a mandatory infrastructure review of VA clinics and expansion of home caregiving options for veterans.
Congressional leaders are in final negotiations over the $1.2 trillion appropriations deal that must pass by Friday at midnight to avert a government shutdown. The VA legislation, which was rapidly finalized over the weekend and has not yet been released, was dropped from the omnibus on Monday due to strong opposition from Pelosi, according to several aides from the White House, Senate and House.
“What we are after is getting patients to care, period.” House VA Committee’s health chair Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio) said. “And if it’s within the walls of the VA, and available, and the best thing for the patient, good. But one of the things I’ve been fighting for, my preference, is that primary care doctor who has a patient makes the decision on specialty care.”
But a Democratic aide said on Tuesday the proposal failed to meet the House Democrats’ goal of consolidating the “VA’s multiple care-in-the-community programs into one seamless, understandable and easy-to-use program that safeguards VA’s role as veterans’ chief advocate, partner and coordinator of care.”
The vindictive anti-Trump rhetoric from Democrats has always been apparent.
But this is perhaps the first time it has so blatantly gotten in the way of saving our nation’s veterans.
Do you think the free market can handle healthcare better than the VA?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
