Heitkamp Convenes Veterans Health Care Roundtable to Improve Choice Program, Protect Rural Providers & Patients

Press Release

U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp today met with North Dakota veterans, health care providers, and local U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) leaders in Bismarck to discuss challenges related to the Veterans Choice Program.

During the roundtable discussion, Heitkamp stressed the urgent need to improve the health provider experience in dealing with the Choice Program, particularly as the VA's contract with Choice Program third-party administrator Health Net is set to end in September. Last week, Heitkamp supported the VA's decision to terminate its contract with Health Net.

"The cancellation of Health Net's contract was a step closer to seriously reforming the Choice Program, but we can't begin to dramatically improve health services for veterans in our rural communities until providers are confident they'll be treated fairly and paid on time," said Heitkamp. "North Dakota's community clinics and hospitals deserve far better than the shoddy treatment they received from Health Net. Today I heard important feedback on how to expand veterans' ability to access quality care, restore faith in the VA system, and hold the future administrator of the Choice Program to the same standard as our VA hospitals and clinics. In the future, I'll continue to focus on a balanced approach that provides seamless care outside of the VA while also pushing back against cuts to existing VA facilities and specialty care programs. We have a sacred commitment to those who served, and we need to deliver the health care, benefits, and respect we promised them for their sacrifice."

Heitkamp told the veterans in attendance that she'll look closely at the president's new VA Secretary nominee and examine whether he's qualified to run such a critical agency. She also noted that she is extremely concerned about the rush toward privatization that ex-VA Secretary Shulkin claims was the reason for his firing and that she remains firmly committed to robustly funding the Veterans Health Administration, the nation's largest integrated health care system.

As community providers continued to struggle to receive timely payments for the care provided under the Choice Program, Heitkamp sent a letter to the VA expressing that the contract with Health Net has been a failure and urging the VA to discontinue its relationship with Health Net. Heitkamp and the bipartisan group of senators led by U.S. Senator Jon Tester (D-MT) criticized Health Net and its inability to provide answers about delayed payments, lost paperwork, and other customer service issues--and the VA made the decision to end its contract with Health Net less than a month later.

Heitkamp continues to travel across North Dakota to hear firsthand the challenges veterans face, as well as to connect newly returning veterans with the services, resources, and benefits they need in their communities. Earlier this week, Heitkamp spoke at the grand opening of Sanford Medical Center Fargo's veterans club, which will host area veterans, active duty servicemembers, National Guard and Reserve, and family members who visit Sanford Fargo for care and treatment.

Background

Heitkamp has long pushed to reform the Choice Program, which aims to allow veterans who have difficulty obtaining a timely appointment with the VA, or live more than 40 miles from a VA health care facility, to seek care from local providers. The Choice Program was created in 2014 when Heitkamp helped pass the bipartisan legislation, and she has since worked to properly implement and reform the program, including:

Passing legislation to extend Choice Program funding and improve efficiency. Heitkamp helped introduce and pass a bipartisan bill signed by President Trump to extend and reform the Choice Program. The bill also improved medical record sharing and made the VA the primary payer. The Choice Program was set to expire on August 7, 2017.
Working to streamline community health access for veterans. In March 2016, Heitkamp helped introduce a bill to reform the Choice Program by giving the VA flexibility to improve care for North Dakota veterans by streamlining and consolidating community care programs, while eliminating bureaucratic obstacles preventing veterans from accessing care. These reforms were included in the Caring for our Veterans Act, which was later approved by the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee and is awaiting further action.
Holding dozens of meetings with North Dakota veterans groups and veterans advocates. Since joining the U.S. Senate, Senator Heitkamp has held over three dozen meetings with members of the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), Disabled American Veterans (DAV) of North Dakota, and other veterans advocates. These formal meetings enrich the discussion she has had on ways to improve the Choice Program for veterans in North Dakota's rural communities.
Holding a roundtable discussion in Grand Forks to discuss fixes to the Choice Program and gathering insight about provider challenges. In August 2016, Heitkamp heard from North Dakota veterans and health providers about serious challenges in the program, including scheduling and billings issues related to Health Net. Earlier that year, Heitkamp successfully pushed for a five-day Vet Center in Grand Forks to help area veterans get the mental health services and support they deserve, and Heitkamp encouraged veterans in attendance to take advantage of the center's free counseling, screening, and referral services
Pushing for the Choice Program Care Coordination pilot initiative. In response to serious flaws in the referral, authorization, and scheduling processes administered by Health Net,, Heitkamp pushed for the pilot initiative, which now allows North Dakota veterans to book their Choice Program appointments directly through the Fargo VA Clinical Resource Management Department, rather than scheduling through Health Net.

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