LATEST GOP ATTEMPT TO REPEAL HEALTH CARE WOULD SPELL DISASTER FOR VETERANS AND THE VA

The RAND corporation has released a new study outlining the devastating impact that the latest GOP attempt to repeal health care would have on veterans.

The research shows that the ACA drastically increased health coverage among non-elderly veterans–by about 36 percent. The newfound health coverage enjoyed by those thousands of veterans is now in jeopardy if the ACA were to be haphazardly repealed.

 

Furthermore, RAND found that this decrease in the number of uninsured veterans also significantly alleviated strain on the VA by increasing non-VA health coverage. Repealing the ACA would flood the unprepared VA with new patients at a time when the department is already overloaded and inefficient, worsening healthcare prospects for veterans who rely on its services.

 

The full report can be found here.

 

RAND notes that “Recent congressional proposals to repeal and replace the ACA would increase the number of uninsured non-elderly veterans and further increase demand for VA health care.” This would complicate and obstruct the health care of American heroes, many of whom have extensive health care needs directly because of their service to our country.

“As a nation, we pride ourselves on how we treat our veterans, and honoring those who serve has long been a point of bipartisan agreement. This most recent attempt to repeal health care is a step backwards that threatens health care coverage for millions of Americans and betrays nearly 2 million veterans who risked their lives for this country,” said Kelly Gregory, an Air Force veteran from Hendersonville who has Stage 4 metastatic breast cancer.