[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 190 (Thursday, November 30, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2272]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  CONFERENCE REPORT ON H.R. 2099, DEPARTMENTS OF VETERANS AFFAIRS AND 
HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, AND INDEPENDENT AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS 
                               ACT, 1996

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                               speech of

                         HON. Y. TIM HUTCHINSON

                              of arkansas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 29, 1995

  Mr. HUTCHINSON. Mr. Speaker, as a staunch defender of both veterans 
and the balanced budget, I want to set the record straight on how 
veterans are being treated under the GOP's 7-year plan.
  Under the conference agreement for VA/HUD appropriations, VA Medical 
Care is increased by $400 million over last year's level. Medical 
Research is increased by $5 million over last year's level and the 
Minor Construction Program is increased by $37 million over last year's 
level. Through responsible deficit reduction measures, we seek to 
preserve the dignity of veterans and the standard of living for future 
generations.
  The VA/HUD Appropriations Act is very generous to veterans' programs. 
In fact, the VA/HUD act reflects cuts in nearly every other agency 
program or account except VA's Medical Care Account. This increase 
comes at a time of a declining population and declining utilization of 
VA hospitals. It might interest you to know that on any given day 
between 23 percent and 50 percent of all beds in VA hospitals lie 
vacant. The money used to staff, and heat empty beds could be better 
used in the actual delivery of services to veterans.
  According to GAO, if the VA were to analyze the President's budget 
using the same assumptions the Department used when it analyzed the 
budget approved by the Congress, the VA would find that veterans are 
better off under the congressional budget than under the President's 
own plan. When the Secretary of Veterans Affairs was asked if veterans 
would suffer more under the Clinton administration's plan he said, 
``that's absolutely right.''
  The Republican plan will preserve and fund VA health care at a level 
that ensures the quality that veterans have come to expect. But it also 
tasks the system to become more efficient and deliver care in a more 
cost-effective manner. VA spends more than $5,000 per patient per year. 
This is $1,800 more than Medicare and a whopping $3,800 more than the 
private sector. Looking at these numbers, there must be ways for the VA 
to become more efficient.
  Health care is changing rapidly and VA must be part of that change.
  We need to question the need for more buildings and instead look for 
ways to provide more care. VA has historically been an institutionally 
based system that now is forced to support an aging network of 173 
hospitals, 376 outpatient clinics, 133 nursing homes, and 39 
domicilaries. We need to seriously examine what, where, and if VA needs 
to build in order to better serve veterans. The approach taken by this 
conference bill is a step in the right direction by asking the VA to 
assemble a long-term plan for its infrastructure and construction 
needs. The VA, must begin to plan strategically like the private 
sector, taking into consideration such factors as an increasingly 
constrained budgetary environment, a declining veteran population, 
shifting demographics, and the rapidly changing health care market. 
Today, when 9 out of 10 veterans have access to private health 
insurance, and 10 percent of current VA users are leaving the VA system 
to use Medicare, we seriously have to question the need for more 
facilities. The major construction level of $136 million and the minor 
construction level of $190 million reverse the historical trend of 
anchoring the VA in bricks and mortar. Today's health care is becoming 
less and less institutional. The VA must be part of that trend. It must 
have the flexibility to go to the veterans instead of requiring the 
veteran to travel long distances to procure health care in often aging 
and obsolete facilities.
  I believe that veterans and taxpayers will be better served by a VA 
that is more efficient and provides more accountability to those who 
provide the basis of its support. This bill is pro-veteran. It shows 
that Republicans are committed to putting veterans first.

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