To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish a pilot program to provide veteran health savings accounts to allow veterans to receive primary care furnished under non-Department direct primary care service arrangements, and for other purposes.
This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs to establish a five-year pilot program that allows eligible veterans enrolled in the VA system to receive primary care from private doctors outside the VA through health savings accounts instead of using VA medical services. Veterans who choose to participate would receive annual deposits into dedicated health savings accounts that can be used to pay for direct primary care arrangements, which typically involve paying a physician a fixed periodic fee for a defined set of medical services, as well as associated costs like prescription drugs and wellness services. Participating veterans would not be allowed to receive primary care from the VA while enrolled in the pilot program, creating a choice between the VA system and private direct primary care arrangements. The VA would consult with actuaries to determine appropriate annual funding amounts for these accounts and must implement fraud prevention measures, while submitting quarterly implementation reports to Congress for the first two years and annual progress reports thereafter. No additional congressional funding is required, as the program would be financed through existing VA health administration appropriations.
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