United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office Health, Education, and Human Services Division author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 1994-04-20 monographic deposited born digital GA 1.13:T-HEHS-94-150 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-T-HEHS-94-150 P0b002ee18037934a f:the94150 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-23 GAOREPORTS-T-HEHS-94-150 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-T-HEHS-94-150 T-HEHS-94-150 Veterans hospitals Veterans benefits Hospital care services Health care planning Surveys Health services administration Handicapped persons Disadvantaged persons National Health Care Reform Initiative Clinton Health Care Plan Health Security Act Testimony HEHS GAO conducted a series of focus group meetings with veterans to explore their views on the current veterans health care system and the future role of the Department of Veterans' Affairs (VA) under health care reform. Among the topics discussed were the reasons and extent to which the veterans used VA health care services; their overall satisfaction with the care VA provides; the need to maintain a separate VA health care system; whether the VA health care system should be expanded to cover dependents; whether VA should set up managed care plans to compete with private sector plans, and the potential competitiveness of VA plans; the factors they would consider in deciding whether to select a VA health plan; and improvements that would make VA a more competitive provider. The veterans expressed a wide range of opinions on these topics. Although their views may not be representative of the nation's 27 million veterans, many of the concerns expressed--such as the excessive waiting times and poor customer service--have been the focus of earlier GAO reports and congressional hearings. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-T-HEHS-94-150/html/GAOREPORTS-T-HEHS-94-150.htm GAO/T-HEHS-94-150 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-T-HEHS-94-150 Testimony GAO/T-HEHS-94-150; Veterans' Health Care: Veterans' Perceptions of VA Services and Its Role in Health Care Reform; Veterans hospitals Veterans benefits Hospital care services Health care planning Surveys Health services administration Handicapped persons Disadvantaged persons National Health Care Reform Initiative Clinton Health Care Plan Health Security Act