Bergman, McMorris Rodgers, Pappas, Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Expand Veterans’ Emergency Care Coverage
Washington,
February 9, 2022
Reps. Jack Bergman (MI-01), Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-05), and Chris Pappas (NH-01) introduced the Removing Extraneous Loopholes Insuring Every Veteran Emergency (RELIEVE) Act. This bipartisan legislation would eliminate a glaring gap in Veteran emergency care insurance coverage by expanding emergency coverage under Care in the Community for Veterans.
“The RELIEVE Act is one of many needed bridges to ensure new Veterans don’t fall into the abyss between the DOD and VA’s care coverage,” said Bergman. “With this bill we’ll seal away a dangerous loophole that could impose crippling emergency care debt on a recently separated servicemember.” “Earlier this year, a veteran contacted my office because her medical bills were piling up after needing emergency care. No matter how hard she tried, the VA refused to pay her expenses because of a coverage loophole made worse by the department’s inability to efficiently schedule appointments,” said Rodgers. “The VA’s systematic failure to see new patients in a timely fashion is putting undue financial stress on veterans at an already difficult time. We must do better, which is why I’m leading this legislation to ensure we roll out the red carpet for veterans and ensure their access to the best health care our country has to offer.” |