Veterans' Health Care:
Most Care Provided Through Non-VA Programs
HEHS-94-104BR: Published: Apr 25, 1994. Publicly Released: Apr 25, 1994.
Additional Materials:
- Full Report:
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Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on the number of veterans: (1) receiving services under non-Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) federal health programs and the cost of those services; and (2) using VA services that are eligible to receive care under other federal programs.
GAO found that: (1) in 1990, 81 percent of veterans had private health insurance and 26 percent were Medicare-eligible; (2) about 62 percent of Medicare-eligible veterans used Medicare services in 1990, and less than 7 percent of Medicare-eligible veterans used VA services; (3) Medicare accounted for $20.6 billion of the $36 billion in federal expenditures for veterans health care in 1990, and VA accounted for $10.9 billion; (4) private health insurance payments for veterans probably exceeded $22 billion in 1990; (5) veterans using VA services tended to have lower incomes and less private health insurance than nonusers; (6) health reform and proposed changes to Medicare could further reduce veterans' use of VA services, since many veterans may turn elsewhere for services if given a choice; (7) the proposed Health Security Act would transform the VA system into managed care plans that would compete with private-sector plans and expand entitlement to free acute-care services; and (8) options for restructuring VA services include maintaining a smaller direct-delivery system strictly for veterans, opening the VA system to other federal beneficiaries, converting some facilities to other uses, merging VA services with other federal health care systems, and contracting to provide hospital services.
Jan 14, 2021
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Prescription Drugs:
Department of Veterans Affairs Paid About Half as Much as Medicare Part D for Selected Drugs in 2017GAO-21-111: Published: Dec 15, 2020. Publicly Released: Jan 14, 2021.
Dec 10, 2020
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VA Construction:
VA Should Enhance the Lessons-Learned Process for Its Real-Property Donation Pilot ProgramGAO-21-133: Published: Dec 10, 2020. Publicly Released: Dec 10, 2020.
Dec 9, 2020
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VA Disability Benefits:
Process for Identifying Conditions Presumed to be Service Connected and Challenges in Processing Complex Gulf War Illness ClaimsGAO-21-253T: Published: Dec 9, 2020. Publicly Released: Dec 9, 2020.
Nov 12, 2020
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Veterans Health Care:
Agency Efforts to Provide and Study Prosthetics for Small but Growing Female Veteran PopulationGAO-21-60: Published: Nov 12, 2020. Publicly Released: Nov 12, 2020.
Sep 30, 2020
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VA Health Care:
Additional Steps Could Help Improve Community Care Budget EstimatesGAO-20-669: Published: Sep 30, 2020. Publicly Released: Sep 30, 2020. -
Veterans Community Care Program:
Improvements Needed to Help Ensure Timely Access to CareGAO-20-721T: Published: Sep 30, 2020. Publicly Released: Sep 30, 2020.
Sep 28, 2020
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Veterans Community Care Program:
Improvements Needed to Help Ensure Timely Access to CareGAO-20-643: Published: Sep 28, 2020. Publicly Released: Sep 28, 2020.
Sep 21, 2020
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VA Disability Benefits:
VA Should Continue to Improve Access to Quality Disability Medical Exams for Veterans Living AbroadGAO-20-620: Published: Sep 21, 2020. Publicly Released: Sep 21, 2020.
Sep 16, 2020
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VA Acquisition Management:
COVID-19 Response Strains Supply Chain While Modernization Delays ContinueGAO-20-716T: Published: Sep 16, 2020. Publicly Released: Sep 16, 2020.
Sep 9, 2020
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Veteran Suicide:
VA Needs Accurate Data and Comprehensive Analyses to Better Understand On-Campus SuicidesGAO-20-664: Published: Sep 9, 2020. Publicly Released: Sep 9, 2020.
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