Senate Passes Veterans Health Care Bill

Source: Senator Sanders

The Senate tonight approved and sent to President Barack Obama a bill to improve access to health care for veterans and reform the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Crafted by the Senate and House Veterans’ Affairs Committee chairmen – Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Jeff Miller (R-Fla.) – the $16.3 billion bill passed the Senate by a vote of 91-3. The House of Representatives voted 420-5 on Wednesday to approve the same measure.

“This bill keeps our commitment to the men and women who put their lives on the line to defend our country. It makes certain that we address the immediate crisis of veterans being forced onto long waiting lists for health care. It strengthens the VA so that it will be able to hire the doctors, nurses and medical personnel it needs so we can permanently put an end to the long waiting lists. It addresses the very serious problem of accountability and makes certain that dishonest and incompetent senior officials do not remain employed at the VA,” Sanders said.

The measure provides $5 billion for the VA to recruit more doctors, nurses and other medical providers to care for the surging number of veterans returning from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.


Summary of the Bill
http://www.sanders.senate.gov/download/the-veterans-access-choice-and-accountability-act-of-2014-summary?inline=file

Read more: http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/senate-passes-veterans-health-care-bill

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Senate passes veterans' health bill
The Senate passed a compromise bill allowing veterans to seek private care and adding $17 billion to the Department of Veterans Affairs to hire doctors to address long wait lists. The final vote in favor was 91-3.

The bill, which was rushed through before the August recess so it could be sent to President Obama, would require VA to make up $5 billion by taking it from other programs.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/07/31/senate-passes-veterans-bill/13429419/



https://twitter.com/SenSanders/status/495007198590676993/photo/1

3 NO
Coburn (R-OK)
Corker (R-TN)
Sessions (R-AL)

Not voting
Alexander (R-TN)
Cochran (R-MS)
Hagan (D-NC)
Harkin (D-IA)
Roberts (R-KS)
Schatz (D-HI)
http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=113&session=2&vote=00254