Health Care for Veterans: Where Things Stand & Next Steps

The enactment of the Veterans Choice Act in August 2014 — stemming from failures to provide adequate and timely care — renewed discussions about the capacity of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care system to meet the needs of our nation’s veterans. In addition to tackling issues related to access to VA-owned facilities, the Veterans Choice Act prompted a thorough examination of the quality of care provided to veterans in the VA system, the VA’s ability to purchase care from the private sector, and the VA’s capacity to provide services.

This briefing provided an introduction to the VA health system, presented an overview of how the VA acts as both provider and purchaser of care, and discussed policy prospects for the future. Speakers also assessed the potential for increased collaboration between civilian care and VA providers to meet the needs of today’s veterans and those of the future.

Sherman Gillums, Paralyzed Veterans of America

Baligh Yehia, Veterans Health Administration

David J. McIntyre, Jr., TriWest Healthcare Alliance

Carrie Farmer, RAND Corporation

John Kerndl, LifePoint Health

Marilyn Serafini of the Alliance for Health Reform will moderate the discussion.

Follow the briefing on Twitter: #VeteransHealth

The Alliance for Health Reform gratefully acknowledges the support of Ascension for this event.

Transcript

Full Transcript (Adobe Acrobat PDF)

Speaker Presentations

Baligh Yehia Presentation (Adobe Acrobat PDF)
David J. McIntyre, Jr. Presentation (Adobe Acrobat PDF)
Carrie Farmer Presentation (Adobe Acrobat PDF)
John Kerndl Presentation (Adobe Acrobat PDF)
Sherman Gillums, Jr. Presentation (Adobe Acrobat PDF)

Event Details

Agenda (Adobe Acrobat PDF)
Speaker Biographies (Adobe Acrobat PDF)