Political Quotes

“I thank the Senator from Arizona for his question. It was the Senator from Arizona who initiated the Choice Act movement in August of last year when we had the terrible crisis in Phoenix where appointments weren't made for veterans in trouble and, in some cases, some of them died. We created Choice to be sure if a veteran needed an appointment within 30 days, or immediately, if it was mental health or other things, and the VA medical facility couldn't provide it, they could use Choice to go to a local provider, either because of distance or service offered. That was initiated in November of last year, and it has grown almost every single month in utility and use because it gives the VA a way, when they are backed up, to meet the needs of a veteran without just saying we cannot help. It is becoming more and more popular. Not only is it helping veterans to get services on a timely basis, it is a force multiplier for the VA. Every time we can use a local Medicare-approved physician, which is what Choice does, we are saving the VA having to hire another physician, having to build another hospital room, and having to provide another service. Yet the VA has control of the services going to the veteran. We have 6.5 million American veterans who have received Choice cards since November of last year.…”