[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 53 (Wednesday, April 2, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E651-E652]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          AGAINST FY 2004 VETERANS BUDGET CUTS IN HEALTH CARE

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                          HON. DANNY K. DAVIS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, April 2, 2003

  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to voice my 
opposition against the

[[Page E652]]

President's proposed budget for Health Care in the Veterans Affairs 
(VA) fiscal year 2004. Americans freedom is due to the men and women in 
uniform who have fought and continue to fight for us. They are the 
Nation's heroes, who are one of America's greatest and vital assets, to 
whom we owe a great debt. One way we can repay this debt is through the 
provision of good health care to them. Many veterans and men and women 
in uniform according to the American Veterans (AMVET) will agree with 
me that high quality health care is one of their most important 
benefits. Nevertheless, the President is repaying the debt we owe to 
them by cutting their health care benefits.
  The President's budget of $27.5 billion is $2.5 billion less than 
what it cost to provide health care to veterans under current law in 
2004. This is as a result of suspending health care enrollment of 
Priority 8 veterans, which will deny care to 173,000 veterans nation 
wide. Of the 173,000 veterans denied approximately 7,160 reside in 
Illinois and approximately 4,000 would have enrolled at VA facilities 
in the Chicago area. Nationwide, an estimated 300,000 veterans in 2002, 
were placed on waiting list or forced to wait for over 6 months in 
order for them to get an appointment for health care. Now we are going 
to tell over 50 percent of these people who have been expecting this 
benefit and bleed for their country, that we appreciate their service 
and are thanking them by refusing them health care access. Denying them 
health care tells them how much we value their service to the country 
and their lives. This is incomprehensible.
  The budget now requires an additional annual enrollment fee of $250 
for those already in the VA health care system. This will force 
approximately 1.25 million enrolled veterans including 425,000 active 
patients nationwide to drop out of the health care system due to the 
increased costs. In the state of Illinois, there are approximately 
105,210 priority 7 and 8 veterans enrolled in the VA health care 
system, which will lead to an estimated 58,000 veterans dropping out 
due to this cost. Also, approximately 42,000 Chicago veterans and 
active patients would be forced to drop out of VA care due to the new 
fees. This new fee is telling our veterans and active men and women in 
uniform that their suffering for our freedom is not enough for them to 
earn health care benefits that they still have to pay for it.
  Furthermore, those who remain in the VA health care system, will pay 
a lot more than they used to pay. In the State of Illinois an estimated 
47,000 Priority 7 and 8 veterans will remain in the VA health care 
system, which will mean that their cost for VA care will increase by an 
estimated $16 million annually. Out of these Illinois veterans 
approximately 26,000 veterans are enrolled in Chicago VA facilities, 
their VA care cost will increase annually by an estimated $9.1 million.
  Overall due to being excluded from signing up and the increased fee 
for VA care, approximately 65,000 Illinois 15 veterans, including 
36,000 veterans in Chicago VA facilities, will lose access to VA health 
care. This is no way to treat our Veterans--in fact we should be 
ashamed. We can do better and we must begin by taking care of those who 
have given so much--our Veterans.

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