House unanimously passes compromise VA bill

Ed Kilgore at the Political Animal blog has a quick summary of the latest on congressional action to address the problems at VA hospitals. Two Cheers For Bipartisanship on VA Waiting Lists:

Amazingly, the House unanimously passed legislation Tuesday to deal with the waiting list problem for veterans trying to access the VA health system. The bill was apparently modeled on the earlier deal struck by Sens. Bernie Sanders and John McCain, and will include both emergency hiring of more VA health professionals and a “private option” in certain circumstances.

On this latter point, before offering a third cheer for bipartisanship, check out Phil Longman’s critique of the Sanders/McCain agreement on grounds that the “private option” provision could eventually lead to an unraveling of what has made the VA system successful for those actually under its care. Indeed, in clearing the current legislation, House Republicans made it clear they’ll soon offer additional proposals to promote privatization of health care for veterans. They know a camel’s nose under the tent when they see it.

The U.S. Senate passed this compromise bill today. Senate passes bill on private veterans care:

The Senate passed a bill Wednesday that would allow veterans to seek care from private providers if they face long wait times at Veterans Affairs facilities.

The bill passed the House Tuesday. Both Republicans and Democrats praised Congress’s fast action on the issue.

The legislation would allow veterans to go to civilian doctors for the next two years if they live more than 40 miles from a VA treatment center or if they have been waiting more than 30 days for an appointment. It also provides funding for more health providers in the VA system.

It also allows those who do their jobs badly to be fired immediately, as well as an expedited appeals process.