[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 52 (Thursday, April 15, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E681-E682]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    IT IS TIME TO SERVE OUR VETERANS

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JERRY MORAN

                               of kansas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 15, 1999

  Mr. MORAN of Kansas. Mr. Speaker, I am glad to rise in support of 
legislation I introduced on March 25, 1999, that will give more 
veterans the freedom to choose where they receive medical care. Under 
current law, the VA does not generally treat a non-service connected 
Medicare-eligible veteran because they have no way to recover the full 
cost of doing so. With this legislation, a Medicare-enrolled veteran 
could go to their VA for care and Medicare would reimburse the VA at a 
fixed rate. This Medicare subvention legislation allows the Department 
of Veterans Affairs to establish a three year demonstration project at

[[Page E682]]

up to 10 sites around the country to test Medicare reimbursements to 
the VA. While a pilot project for Department of Defense Medicare 
Subvention was enacted into law in 1997, the VA's Pilot Project was 
not.
  This legislation is budget neutral. It caps Medicare payments to the 
VA at $50 million annually. HHS and VA will monitor this project from 
beginning to end in order to study its effectiveness in giving more 
veterans access to VA health care. Last month, this legislation passed 
in the Senate. Now is the time for the House to act on this issue.
  The second part of this bill would take steps to ensure that the 
Department of Defense health care coverage, Tricare, is accessible and 
patient-friendly through improved business practices and by meeting 
industry standards. In 1993, the Department of Defense restructured its 
health care program in order to maintain beneficiary access to high 
quality care while containing cost. Implementation of this program has 
been difficult as force reduction and base closures have resulted in 
fewer military treatment facilities and medical personnel. There is 
still much to be done to ensure access to Tricare's 8 million 
beneficiaries made up of active service members, their families, and 
retirees.
  This legislation directs the Department of Defense to take several 
steps to ensure that Tricare is similar to the health care coverage 
available to all other federal employees; that it ensure portability of 
benefits from region to region; and that it improve patient management. 
Changes in this bill will improve Tricare for beneficiaries, providers, 
and contractors. Identical legislation was passed last month in the 
Senate and it is time the House did the same. Those who have served in 
our military deserve accessible health care without the red tape.
  This bill also encourages the Veterans Benefits Administration to 
review its policies and procedures in reviewing claims; initiate 
necessary actions to process claims in a consistent and timely manner; 
and report to the Congress on measures taken to improve processing 
time. Processing claims through the VBA, including veterans disability 
ratings, has grown increasingly slower over the last few years. A 
veteran's access to VA health care often depends on these decisions. We 
should not put a veteran's health care needs on hold because of 
paperwork delays.
  I commend our veterans for their courage in defending our nation's 
values and freedoms. They have served their country to the fullest 
extent, and it is time to serve our veterans.

                          ____________________