Senate Passes Bill, Could Increase VA Healthcare Spending by $500 Billion

The United States Senate has passed a bill that could double the amount of money spent on veterans healthcare. An analysis done by the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget suggests that without setting budgetary caps on private care reimbursement rates that Veterans Affairs healthcare spending could increase by over $500 Billion over the next ten years.

The private care portion of the senate bill has bipartisan support which is refreshing; however, more needs to be done on the specifics of where the money is allocated. Democrats have suggested $2 Billion in additional funding for renovations as well as building more VA hospitals while Republicans have been championing the private care portion of the bill.

With all of the bottlenecking in both chambers of Congress, it is nice to see a progressive approach to the problems at the VA. This new legislation will undoubtedly have an impact on physicians and physician groups across the country. These are just preliminary ideas and fixes and with more productive conversation more improved legislation should occur.

Click here to read more from Vox.com