Loading video...
Source: Congress.gov
Participants
Transcript
This oversight hearing for the Subcommittee on Health will now come to order. It's not often in Washington, D.C. you start very early in the morning shoveling snow, but thank you all for making it despite the snow. I understand this hearing focused on community care has garnered significant member interest, including from committee members who are not on my health subcommittee. So before we get started, in accordance with Committee Rule 5E, I ask unanimous consent that all off-subcommittee members be permitted to participate in today's committee hearing. Without objection, so ordered. As a 24-year Army veteran and a health care provider, I've seen firsthand the struggles our veterans face in accessing the care they have earned. I've also experienced the challenges providers encounter when trying to deliver the care. Let me make two things perfectly clear at the start of today's hearing. Veterans should never have to fight through a maze of bureaucracy to get the health care they deserve, and providers should not be bogged down by administrative hurdles just to serve them. These two statements shouldn't be considered partisan. This subcommittee has received multiple reports regarding delayed referrals, canceled appointments, lack of reimbursement, and long wait times for treatment that should be available much sooner. These aren't isolated incidents. These are systemic failures that have real harmful impacts on the everyday lives of veterans. And let me also say that I know that the VA is working very hard and very diligently to serve our veterans and to remedy these incidents. And it's why today's hearing is so important. Today is our follow up to our previous full committee hearing, where we heard directly from veterans and their families about the barriers they experienced in accessing community care. But with the new administration comes new opportunities. And under the leadership of Secretary Collins, I have total confidence that the VA will course correct the failures of the previous administration to protect health care access for veterans. In our last hearing, we saw attempts by some members to shift the failures of the Biden-Harris administration to third-party administrators and providers.
There was also yet another attempt to propagate the myth that Republicans want to privatize VA. Let me once again address this falsehood and state the position I share with Chairman Bost. Community care is VA care. It's designed to supplement VA's direct care system, not replace it. The purpose of today's hearing is to provide a refresher on the roles and responsibilities of the outside providers who are responsible for administering the community care program so that all members of the committee can refocus efforts on holding the right people accountable. This is about making sure the community care program works for veterans, not for bureaucrats in Washington, D.C. So let me spell out who is responsible for what. Third party administrators are tasked with building provider networks and paying claims for services rendered by community care providers. Third party administrators do not determine veterans eligibility for community care. They do not authorize referrals, and they do not manage the transfer of medical records between VA facilities and community providers. Those responsibilities belong to the VA. When the VA fails to authorize referrals in a timely manner or delays sending the necessary documentation, veterans are the ones that suffer. We have heard countless stories from veterans who have waited months for care because their referrals were stuck in the system, or who received approval for care just prior to the expiration of that care. Veterans who have had to navigate confusing and inconsistent communication because the VA, not the outside providers, cannot get it together. One of those veterans is my constituent, Mr. Terry Barngrover, a Vietnam veteran battling blood cancer. I'd like to take a moment to describe Terry's community care experience in his own words. They just expect us to know all the rules. No one answers the phone or returns calls. We get the feeling the VA does all of this extra work, so we'll give up and not use the VA at all.
And just last night and this morning, I had a veteran in my community text me about his experience at the VA with a urinary tract infection caused by a kidney stone. We can't allow these issues to persist. Veterans like Terry and the veterans we all heard from a few weeks ago in this room deserve better. They deserve a system that works for them, not against them. And that's my number one priority from my seat as the chairwoman. Today, we'll hear from VA officials and stakeholders about the steps they're taking to improve the administration of community care and ensure that the program operates efficiently and effectively so veterans can get the care they need without unnecessary delays. Thank you all for being here today. I look forward to hearing from our witnesses on how they can improve the VA community care program for the veterans who rely upon it. With that, I yield to ranking member Brownlee for her opening statement. The chair recognizes ranking member Brownlee. Thank you, Madam Chairwoman. I am glad the subcommittee is holding this hearing today.
Sign up for free to see the full transcript
Accounts help us prevent bots from abusing our site. Accounts are free and will allow you to access the full transcript.