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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.
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.

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