[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 32 (Tuesday, March 2, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Page S2093]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      VETERANS' ACCESS TO MEDICARE

  Mr. BURNS. Mr. President, I am pleased to join Mr. Jeffords in co-
sponsoring the Veterans' Equal Access to Medicare Act. This bill 
requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the Secretary of Health 
and Human Services to create a demonstration program to allow Medicare-
eligible veterans to receive their treatment at VA treatment 
facilities. This is a thoughtful approach to try to help our veterans, 
especially our elderly veterans, receive all of their treatments in one 
place. In the process, we hope to save money for the taxpayers and get 
greater benefits for our treatment dollars.
  This is a voluntary program to establish 10 regional sites nationwide 
to provide this new service. This bill calls out several criteria for 
potential sites: one must be near a closed military base, one must be 
in a predominantly rural area, and no new buildings must be built as 
part of this program. I'm especially interested in the potential for 
Montana to be the rural site. We currently have veterans traveling 
hundreds of miles for their VA treatments. By establishing some type of 
joint VA/Medicare program, we create opportunities to expand access and 
improve continuity of medical care for Montana Veterans.
  I'm encouraged by the awareness being raised in the VA recently for 
our State. The recent town meetings by the VA officials are just the 
beginning. My presence there was intended to show the VA how serious we 
take the necessity of improvement. We have to get better. My commitment 
through the coming months is to look for additional ways to ease 
communication between Montana Veterans and the Washington, D.C. 
establishment. We also need to increase the opportunities for Veterans 
to hear more about the future plans for Veterans' health care. Again, 
I'll be working on both of these topics this spring.
  We owe our veterans a debt of service for their sacrifices for our 
country. The program in this bill is a great opportunity for us to be 
fiscally responsible while improving the care and treatment of a group 
of honored citizens. I strongly encourage my colleagues to support this 
bill.

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