[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 67 (Wednesday, May 7, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E888]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  VETERANS COMPREHENSIVE HEALTH CARE AND ACCESS TO PRESCRIPTION DRUGS

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                         HON. NANCY L. JOHNSON

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                         Wednesday, May 7, 2003

  Mrs. JOHNSON of Connecticut. Mr. Speaker, today I introduced 
legislation to address a major obstacle our nation's veterans face in 
obtaining comprehensive health care and access to prescription drugs.
  According to the Inspector General of the Department of Veterans 
Affairs, the VA pharmacy benefit is the primary reason that veterans 
without service-connected disabilities use VA healthcare services. 
Nearly 90 percent of these veterans have access to private health care 
and private physicians, yet they wait in lengthy lines at the VA in 
order to be re-examined and re-tested so they can receive their 
prescription drugs through the VA. This causes veterans with a 
prescription already in hand to wait weeks, even months before it is 
filled and creates a backlog of veterans waiting for doctor 
appointments.
  My legislation would ease the process by which veterans with private 
health insurance or Medicare coverage obtain prescription drugs through 
the VA healthcare system. Specifically, it would allow an eligible 
veteran, with a prescription written by a private physician, to fill 
that prescription at a VA pharmacy from the current VA formulary. My 
legislation differs from other prescription drug access proposals 
because it specifically limits the prescriptions to drugs listed under 
the VA formulary in order to limit the cost of implementation. Under 
current law, the VA does not have the authority to dispense 
prescriptions written by private sector physicians.
  As chairman of the Ways & Means health subcommittee, I recognize the 
unique challenge that the VA faces in its mission to provide 
comprehensive quality health care service to veterans. However, strict 
adherence to that same mission has resulted in lengthy delays in the 
delivery of quality care to both veterans with private health coverage 
and those veterans that are entirely dependent on the VA as their 
healthcare provider.
  In order to ensure timely delivery of health care, the VA must focus 
on the barriers veterans face in receiving care including streamlining 
access to prescription drugs.

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