AFGE praises Obama for signing Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act

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American Federation of Government EmployeesOct 23 2009

The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), today, praised President Barack Obama for signing the Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act which will provide advance funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs.

"This victory comes after years of advocating by AFGE and numerous veterans' organizations," said AFGE National President John Gage. "AFGE thanks President Obama for keeping his campaign promise to us and -- more importantly to America's veterans -- to guarantee advance funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs."

Present at the historic signing were AFGE National Secretary-Treasurer J. David Cox and Women's and Fair Practices National Vice President Augusta Thomas.

The Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act authorizes Congress to approve veterans medical care funding one year in advance to better meet the anticipated demand for veterans health care services.

"The advanced funding will give the Department of Veterans Affairs up to a full year to plan for the most effective and efficient way of delivering medical care," said National Secretary Treasurer and retired VA nurse J. David Cox. "America's veterans deserve this. This is a step in the right direction for the agency."

"Congress also included a requirement that the GAO audit VA's budget projections," explained Women's and Fair Practices National Vice President Augusta Thomas. "This move will further stabilize an agency where the current system of politics-driven funding clearly was not working."

"We are happy to move onward into a new era for the VA," said NVAC President Alma Lee. "And we look forward to VA health care dollars being used for patient needs and adequate front line staffing, not for excessive executive bonuses and new layers of management."

Source:

American Federation of Government Employees

Posted in: Healthcare News

Tags: Health Care, Veterans Affairs

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The VA format should be used in health care reform

Bill Watson says:

October 23, 2009 at 10:26 PM

The VA format should be used in health care refom. A two part solution for fixing health care would make reform simple, straight forward, and save hundreds of billions of dollars annually.
A pure public option, with government sales tax funding, replacing insurance, along with distributing all government funded care only through government owned and operated hospitals, staffed by government employed doctors and health care providers, using VA systems, is the best solution for fixing half of the health care problem.
The second hal
f of the solution is to have a pure private option, with private insurance and only private funding, paying for care and medications dispenssed by private providers, that would not be subjected to any government mandates.

Nobody can collect the money to pay for health care as cheaply as the government can through a national sales tax, and nobody can deliver high quality care and medications as cost effectively as the VA.

President Obama commented that “governments unfair advantages” would not be allowed to disrupt private health care’s businesses, however a CBO study to compare all proposed reforms, to a dual public/private plan, would scream that “governmments unfair advantages” offer the only solutions to save lives and prevent bankrupting families, employers, and our country.
Everyone choosing public care could have it no restrictions, no insurance, no co pays, free period.

Employers who select federal public care for their employees would not be required to pay for or have any further involvement with health care.

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