Veterans' Health Care:
Efforts to Make VA Competitive May Create Significant Risks
T-HEHS-94-197: Published: Jun 29, 1994. Publicly Released: Jun 29, 1994.
Additional Materials:
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GAO discussed the potential effects of health reforms on veterans' health care, focusing on the: (1) legal and structural barriers that could limit the Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) ability to restructure its health care facilities into managed care plans and compete with private-sector health plans; (2) extent to which the Health Security Act would overcome those barriers; and (3) potential risks associated with efforts to make VA competitive with private-sector managed care plans. GAO noted that: (1) there are various barriers that could hinder VA efforts to establish competitive health plans; (2) VA officials believe that legislative action to exempt VA from a series of existing laws and regulations is essential if VA is to compete with private-sector health plans; (3) most legal barriers would be addressed through the Health Security Act; (4) expanding entitlement to VA health care could add billions of dollars to VA appropriations; (5) veterans with service-connected disabilities may have more difficulty accessing VA health care; (6) exemptions from contracting requirements could heighten the potential for fraud and abuse and place both the government and veterans at risk; (7) additional funds would be needed to make VA health plans competitive; (8) inadequate cost and utilization data would increase risks in pricing and contracting decisions; (9) eligibility verification would be more difficult in VA managed care plans; and (10) further decentralization of VA management could increase risks.
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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