Political Quotes

“I thank the ranking member for yielding to me. As a member of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, I rise in support of H.R. 4810. This important legislation will allow our Nation's heroes to access health care outside the VA for the next 2 years. If even one veteran who has been waiting a long time for an appointment through the VA is able to receive care more quickly in the private sector, then we should give him or her that opportunity. But this alone won't solve the problem. More must be done. We have known for a while that the VA facilities across the United States do not have enough doctors and nurses on staff to meet the growing demand for care. This is not a problem that is just isolated to the VA. As I discussed in our hearing last night, allowing veterans to access care in the private sector will help in some areas of the United States, but in many cities and rural areas across the country there is also a shortage of care in the private sector. In Nevada, for example, we have for a long time had a chronic shortage of doctors, both in primary care and among specialists. When comparing the number of health care workers relative to State population, Nevada ranks 46th in the Nation for general and family practitioners, 50th for psychiatrists, and 51st for general surgeons. So, as a result, veterans aren't the only ones who are waiting for health care. Everyone is affected. Adding more patients to an already burdened system will not be a panacea.…”