Washington DC – Massive fraud is now being committed by contractors administering the Veterans Choice
Program according to AFGE president J. David Cox. The AFGE president has sent a strong letter to Congress asking lawmakers to investigate.
AFGE president Cox letter stated that: “H.R. 4242 is a terrible piece of legislation that not only chips away at the only health care system tailored to the unique needs of veterans, but it also insulates private, for-profit providers from being accountable to veterans or taxpayers. We keep hearing from Congress and the Administration that there needs to be a greater level of accountability, but when it came down to making sure these private providers would be accountable to the men and women who served this country, party politics won out.”
Clearly, questionable practices have been committed by third party administrators (TPA) of the VA Choice Program. To ensure that contractors receive favorable treatment and fast reimbursement, the VA have overpaid both TriWest and HealthNet almost $100 million. These improper payment rates have harmed veterans and undermined the VA health care system.
