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Senate Bill Allows Vets to Use Private Health Care

CBN

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Senate Republicans proposed a bill Tuesday that would enable veterans to get the medical care they need.

The Veterans Choice Act, sponsored by four GOP lawmakers, would give veterans flexibility to see a private doctor if they're forced to wait too long for an appointment at Veterans Affairs.

"It would empower veterans who can't schedule an appointment within a reasonable time or live too far away from the VA medical facility to exercise the choice - I emphasize the choice - of getting medical care from any doctor in a Medicare or TRICARE program," Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., the lead sponsor, told reporters.

The measure also prohibits VA facilities from recording wait times for the purpose of securing bonuses and requires the VA secretary to issue penalties for falsifying data.

Meanwhile, the federal investigation into the scandal surrounding the VA health system continues.

In addition to the scandal surrounding the Phoenix hospital, investigators have found at least 108 veterans in Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, and Missouri waited more than 90 days for appointments with a primary care physician.

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