Jun 6, 2019
VA expands veteran access to private sector medicine
The New York Times called it “the biggest shift in the American health care system since the passage of the Affordable Care Act.”
A man walks by the Department of Veterans Affairs, July 27, 2017, in Washington, DC.
PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/Getty Images
As of today, the 9 million veterans who receive health care through Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals have new options to see outside doctors.
Veterans can visit private medical facilities if they live more than a half hour from a VA doctor or can’t get an appointment within 20 days, down from a threshold of 30 days. Lawmakers passed the change last year to lower veteran wait times, but health experts fear unintended consequences.