Art Petersn
01-19-03, 10:36 PM
Veterans Affairs to cut some health care
The Department of Veterans Affairs will suspend enrollment today for higher-incme veterans who seek health care for non-military-related ailments ranging from routine care to heart disease and diabetes. The suspension is to last through 2003. The decision goes against VA policy set in 1996 ,when Congress ordered the agency to provide health care to nearly all veterans
VA Secretary Anthony Principi said Congress hasn't allocated enough money to provide health care to a rapidly increasing number of veterans. The VA;s number of veterans. The VA's number of patients ballooned from 2.9 million in 1996 to 6.8 million today,m Principi said. The change woun't apply to veterans already enrolled but is expected to affect about 164,000. How much a veteran can earn before losing coverage depends on where the veteran lives and the size of his or her household.
The Department of Veterans Affairs will suspend enrollment today for higher-incme veterans who seek health care for non-military-related ailments ranging from routine care to heart disease and diabetes. The suspension is to last through 2003. The decision goes against VA policy set in 1996 ,when Congress ordered the agency to provide health care to nearly all veterans
VA Secretary Anthony Principi said Congress hasn't allocated enough money to provide health care to a rapidly increasing number of veterans. The VA;s number of veterans. The VA's number of patients ballooned from 2.9 million in 1996 to 6.8 million today,m Principi said. The change woun't apply to veterans already enrolled but is expected to affect about 164,000. How much a veteran can earn before losing coverage depends on where the veteran lives and the size of his or her household.