Washington, DC (March 2, 2006) – Yesterday, representatives from Congressman Rubén Hinojosa’s (TX-15) office led a delegation from Fayette County to Audie Murphy Hospital in San Antonio for a discussion about opportunities for veteran’s health care services in Fayette County. Included in the delegation were: Judge Ed Janecka, Fayette County Judge; Kelley Oliphint, President and CEO, St. Mark’s Hospital (La Grange); and Bob Fields, Board Member, St. Mark’s Hospital; and Dustin Bryant, Field Representative, Congressman Hinojosa’s office.
Fayette County has a large number of veterans that currently have to travel to Austin for basic health care services and to Temple for surgery and major operations. The delegation met with representatives from Audie Murphy Hospital, the South Texas Veterans Health Care System, and the Veterans Administration for an overview of changes to VA policies over the past 10 years.
“We all know how difficult it is for veterans living in rural communities to get access to quality and affordable healthcare; traveling hundreds of miles for basic services is sometimes just not an option,” said Hinojosa. “While policies at the Veterans Administration have changed over the past 10 years, that does not mean veterans who loyally served their country should be turned away for health care and services. I applaud Judge Janecka for leading this charge, and hope that a smart and sound solution can be developed that meets the needs of veterans in Fayette County.”
Earlier this year, it was reported that more than 260,000 veterans applied to receive health care at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in fiscal year 2005 but were turned away because of cost cutting decisions to limit veterans’ access to VA hospitals, clinics and medications. Congressman Rubén Hinojosa called on the Administration to seek adequate funding in FY 2007 to allow these veterans to get the care and medications they need at the VA.
However, in the President’s proposed budget, which was submitted on February 6, health care costs for thousands of veterans will rise, for the fourth year in a row. It imposes new co-payments on prescription drugs and enrollment fees that will cost veterans hundreds of millions of dollars. This will drive more than 234,000 veterans out of veterans’ health care. The budget also increases TRICARE health care premiums for the nation’s military retirees.
More meetings will be conducted with the Congressman’s office, local officials and the Veterans Administration to further discuss how to bring more health care services to the county.