Veterans Health Care Freedom Act
Latest action · May 26, 2023 Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedMay 10, 2023
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Veterans Health Care Freedom Act
This bill requires the Center for Innovation for Care and Payment within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to implement a three-year pilot program to improve the ability of veterans who are enrolled in the VA health care system to access hospital care, medical services, and extended care services through the covered care system by providing such veterans with the ability to choose health care providers. Under the bill, the covered care system includes VA medical facilities, health care providers participating in the Veterans Community Care Program (VCCP), and eligible entities or providers that have entered into a Veterans Care Agreement.
A veteran participating in the program may elect to receive care at any provider in the covered care system.
The pilot program removes certain requirements (e.g., location of the veteran) to access care at VA and non-VA facilities. After four years, the bill permanently phases out the requirements for accessing care under the VCCP and Veterans Care Agreements and requires the VA to provide such care under the same conditions of the pilot program. Additionally, after four years, veterans may receive care at a VA medical facility regardless of whether the facility is in the same Veterans Integrated Service Network as the veteran.
Cosponsors 24
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from May 10, 2023 to Jun 25, 2024; 14 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| R-TN | Andrew Ogles | Original | May 10, 2023 |
| R-GA | Andrew S. Clyde | Original | May 10, 2023 |
| R-FL | Anna Paulina Luna | Original | May 10, 2023 |
| R-VA | Bob Good | Original | May 10, 2023 |
| R-FL | Carlos A. Gimenez | Original | May 10, 2023 |
| R-TX | Chip Roy | Original | May 10, 2023 |
| R-AZ | Debbie Lesko | Original | May 10, 2023 |
| R-AZ | Elijah Crane | Original | May 10, 2023 |
| R-WY | Harriet M. Hageman | Original | May 10, 2023 |
| R-OK | Josh Brecheen | Original | May 10, 2023 |
| R-CO | Lauren Boebert | Original | May 10, 2023 |
| R-FL | Maria Elvira Salazar | Original | May 10, 2023 |
| R-MT | Matthew M. Rosendale, Sr. | Original | May 10, 2023 |
| R-WI | Thomas P. Tiffany | Original | May 10, 2023 |
| R-AZ | Paul A. Gosar | May 15, 2023 | |
| R-FL | Matt Gaetz | May 24, 2023 | |
| R-SC | Russell Fry | Jun 5, 2023 | |
| D-NJ | Jefferson Van Drew | Jul 25, 2023 | |
| R-IL | Mary E. Miller | Jul 27, 2023 | |
| R-FL | Daniel Webster | Sep 14, 2023 | |
| R-FL | Laurel M. Lee | Nov 6, 2023 | |
| R-FL | Bill Posey | Nov 30, 2023 | |
| R-FL | Vern Buchanan | May 15, 2024 | |
| R-FL | Scott Franklin | Jun 25, 2024 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Veterans' Affairs Committee | Referred May 10, 2023 |
| Health Subcommittee | Referred May 26, 2023 |
Actions 3
Everything that happened, newest first.
- May 26, 2023Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
- May 10, 2023Introduced in House
- May 10, 2023Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Constitutional authority
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 169, no. 79, May 10, 2023, page H2245.
Printed hearings 1
Hearings whose printed record names this bill, newest first: hearings on it, and wider hearings where it came up.
| Number | Hearing | Committee | Held |
|---|---|---|---|
| Serial No. 118-93 | LEGISLATIVE HEARING157 pages | Veterans' Affairs Committee | Dec 17, 2024 |
Related bills 2
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| S 1545 | Veterans Health Care Freedom Act | Related bill | Jul 12, 2023 |
| HR 2910 | Veterans Health Care Freedom Act | Reintroduction of | Jul 14, 2021 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out a pilot program to improve the ability of veterans to access medical care in medical facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs and in the community by providing the veterans the ability to choose health care providers.
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- Veterans Health Care Freedom Act
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security.
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- May 10, 2023Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
