Health Care News
For Fertility Treatment, Wounded Veterans Have To Pay The Bill
Wednesday, February 17, 2016 | Category: Health Care - ME
Matt Keil came home with a "Christopher Reeve'-type injury." The Keils wanted to have children, but they'd need in vitro fertilization. It's a very expensive procedure costing on average at least $12,000 per cycle of treatment, according to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. The Department of Defense health care system covers IVF for wounded service members, but the Department of Veterans Affairs does not due to "Veterans Health Care Act of 1992," Public Law 102-585. Recently, Senator Murray's (WA) "S.469 - Women Veterans and Families Health Services Act of 2015" was blocked as other attempts have been in the past. Fertility clinics around the nation offer discounted IVF rates for veterans self-funding the procedure. The Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology provides a "Service to Veterans" list of participating clinics at: https://www.sartcorsonline.com/ServiceToVeterans.aspx.
Aroostook County Veterans Fighting to Save Health Care Program
Monday, February 15, 2016 | Category: Health Care - ME
The funds for the Access Received Closer to Home (ARCH) program which was initiated in 2011 and is operating at Cary Medical Center could lapse later in 2016. Aroostook County veterans and Maine's four Congressional delegation members want to save the federal program that has benefited rural veterans. Maine was one of five program test sites. The others are located in Farmville, Virginia; Pratt, Kansas; Flagstaff, Arizona; and Billings, Montana.
OUR OPINION: Veterans Choice Failing Mainers Who Have Served
Wednesday, February 10, 2016 | Category: Health Care - ME
The Kennebec Journal Morning Sentinel Editorial Board calls for the Maine Congressional delegation to collaborate with their colleagues in other states to work the Veterans Choice Program issues to ensure veterans to consistently receive health care services
Maine’s Congressional Delegation Seeks Prompt Action on ‘Deeply Flawed’ Veterans Program
Friday, February 5, 2016 | Category: Health Care - ME
On February 5, 2016, the Maine Congressional delegation sent a letter to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs articulating their concerns with the Veterans Choice Program. The program was intended to provide veterans with the opportunity to receive medical care more quickly and closer to their homes, but it "remains deeply flawed."
Program to Hasten Veterans’ Care Poorly Implemented, Maine Advocates Say
Saturday, January 30, 2016 | Category: Health Care - ME
Delayed care, unscheduled doctor appointments, and billing errors are not yet resolved for veterans trying to use the Department of Veterans Affairs 2014
"Veterans Choice Program." At best, half of the appointments have been met. Health Net Inc., one of the program managers, spoke with Maine veteran advocates sharing that there it is a one-person staff in New Hampshire trying to create and manage the entire New England provider network and manage provider claim disputes. A VA Maine Healthcare System report mirrored findings in the inspector general’s report.
Togus Gives Progress on Caring for Maine Veterans
Monday, August 3, 2015 | Category: Health Care - ME
Maine Department of Veterans Affairs (Maine VA) administrators stated that the needs of Maine veterans continue to be met nearly a year after the national scandal rocked the Department of Veterans Affairs nationwide. Maine VA currently has 50,000 veterans enrolled of which 85% will receive care in 2014. More staff and updated technology are critical to meet patient demand. Medical Center Director Ryan Lilly stated: "Our access is very good here in the state of Maine. It is not perfect."
How We're Failing Our Female Veterans
Thursday, May 21, 2015 | Category: Health Care - ME
This article explores some of the challenges all veterans face and the services that may or may not be available to women veterans. Maine women veterans Ruth Moore, Judy Atwood Bell, and LaRhonda Harris (also the Maine VA Women Veterans Program Manager), share their perspectives on the Veterans Administration's readiness to serve women veterans.
Services Lacking for Women Veterans
Saturday, January 17, 2015 | Category: Health Care - ME
The Disabled American Veterans 2014 report, “Women Veterans: The Long Journey Home,” outlines 27 recommendations that Congress, the administration, VA and the Departments of Defense, Labor, and Housing and Urban Development can take to strengthen the safety net for women veterans. More than a quarter-million American women served honorably in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, yet evidence indicates military women receive less support than their male counterparts from government programs primarily designed for men.