We need your help telling Congress NOT to support VA privatization.

This year, Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kansas) introduced the “Veterans’ HEALTH Act of 2023” (S.1315). Disguised to provide veterans with “choice,” these bills would do the exact opposite: they’re an attempt to privatize the VA and ultimately limit access to VA services. Sen. Moran claims that this bill, backed by Senator Kyrsten Sinema (I-Arizona), will be used to improve care and services under the Veterans Community Care Program. However, the “improvements” they’re proposing would drastically expand private, for profit, non-Departmental care instead of investing in VA’s services. It requires VA to schedule an appointment with a provider within 30 minutes of the veterans’ residence and within 20 days of their appointment request for primary care or else a veteran can be referred to private care. Similarly, VA must provide specialty care within a 60-minute drive from the veteran’s residence or within 28 days of the requested appointment date or a veteran can be referred to private care. But because private providers would not be held to these drive or wait time standards, S. 1315 would drive rapid privatization of the VA.

This may seem like a short-term win for our veterans, but in the long run, it will put the VA and our veterans’ care at risk: not only is private, for-profit health care more costly, it also makes care coordination for our veterans much more difficult and limits the VA’s power to control the quality of care given to our nation’s heroes. Studies also show the VA cares better for veterans – with a significant increase in veteran survival rates when their ambulances are driven to VA facilities as opposed to private offices. As the VA rapidly approaches a point where half of all care will be delivered privately, we must let our representatives know these bills only harm workers and the veterans we serve.

Secretary McDonough has already expressed to Congress how unsustainable the growth of private care programs is. Now, our elected officials need to hear it from us. Send a letter to your Congressperson and tell them that our VA workers and veterans oppose privatization.

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