You Won’t Believe why Democrats Decided to Block The House Veteran Healthcare Bill!

Ever since Trump ascended into office, he implemented several national policies that plunged the country into controversies. His Republican allies in the Congress also cut the budget for CHIP and Affordable Care Act putting the health of Americans in danger.

However, Trump has been very vocal about supporting the former uniformed personnel which served the country for years. Trump made it his priority to implement the veterans health care bill. But this time, the Democrats countered by excluding the said proposal in the recent budget meeting.

A Compromised Deal

David Shulkin attending the Senate Hearing on March 28, 2018

Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin defended the controversial bill to expand the healthcare package for retired troops last Wednesday. He explained how our former veteran forces need an immediate medical attention now that their health is deteriorating. Furthermore, their current pensions can’t fund their hospital bills. He also reiterated that they didn’t mishandle the budget by diverting it to other projects. In fact, they see this petition as the pivotal moment in the agency’s history. But sadly, the legislature blocked the move instead.

Sorting Out The Agency’s Internal Issues First

Senator Johnny Isakson leads the bipartisan lawmakers in negotiating for a compromise plan. He reiterated that instead of passing a new bill, they can revise the Caring for Our Veterans Act and create a separate VA request to monitor the health and well-being of our former troops. He stated that the DVA should submit a detailed financial report on how they spend their money. He also reported that the agency already received more than $4 billion to infrastructure and healthcare facilities.

House Majority Whip Steve Scalise of La.

The Democrat lawmakers, on the other hand, want the agency to use the existing budget to improve the VA hospital system. They also noted how the agency seems to divert the original funding to other purposes, like the Choice Program. Sen. Patty Murray noticed how VA didn’t implement any upgrade in the hospital’s healthcare facilities. Furthermore, more and more veterans became homeless, causing many of them to try and commit suicide.

Senator Murray wants the agency to improve their management and minimize these issues first before they approve the proposal. For now, the Democrats blocked the bill, creating a major setback in the Trump administration’s main legislative agenda during his term.

It Draw Mixed Emotions Among the Senators

While most senators supported the compromised plan and want the agency to sort out their issues first, they admitted that they, too, are worried about the bill. Pelosi and the other Democrats expressed that this blockage would cause the agency to dilute their funds and end up outsourcing healthcare due to this huge controversy. While the budget for the DVA remains pending, Shulkin said that it would affect millions of Americans since their Choice fund reserve will run out this coming June.

Most Democrats senators still hope to pass the law in due time

Sen. Jon Tester on the other hand admitted that the bill itself didn’t worry him. In fact, he stated that the proposal could help our veterans. However, he’s more worried about the implementation phase. He wants the agency to use the funding for its intended purpose. The Choice program option forces veterans to access the private healthcare system which they can’t afford to pay. Moreover, he expressed his dismay that the committee only arrived a compromised plan after months of talks and meetings in the Senate body.