House Passes Moulton’s Bill to Improve Access to Veteran Health Care
Washington, D.C. – Today, the House passed Congressman Seth Moulton (D-MA) and Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) bipartisan veterans bill, H.R. 4352, the Faster Care for Veterans Act. This innovative piece of legislation is designed to make critical improvements to veteran health care by utilizing 21st century technology. The bill would allow patients to self-schedule appointments from their smart phones or computers with the click of a button. Moulton has now passed three bills through the House; a total which no other Freshman House Democrat has surpassed.
“Our nation’s veterans deserve the best healthcare in the world, period,” said Moulton. “As a Member of Congress, I declined congressional health care and pledged to receive my care at the VA. I receive excellent service from terrific doctors and nurses at my home VA facility in Massachusetts, but I also know that for far too long, our veterans have been underserved by outdated systems. It doesn’t have to be this way, and today I’m proud that the House came together to pass my bipartisan bill. This legislation will require the VA to use innovative technology in the private sector and drastically improve access to healthcare for our veterans.”
Self-scheduling technologies have been widely successful in the private sector by reducing the number of missed or cancelled appointments and saving our health system money and creating a better experience for patients and doctors. Moulton’s bill seeks to connect private sector innovation to the Department of Veterans Affairs by requiring the VA to pilot an online self-scheduling app for VA patients. This legislation will equip the VA with the same state-of-the-art technology enjoyed by patients in the private sector to improve the quality of veteran health care services.
In February, Moulton posted a video on his official Facebook page of District Representative and Army Veteran, Dennis Magnasco, attempting to make an appointment at the VA, but he could not get past the automated answering service. The video went viral and has been viewed nearly 1.5 million times with 35,000 shares and thousands of comments of support.
Moulton has made veterans’ care a top priority during this congress. In June 2015, Moulton introduced his first package of legislation: The VA Education Training and Sustainability (VETS) Act, four bills aimed at improving the talent pipeline at Veterans Affairs medical facilities across the country.
To learn more about Congressman Seth Moulton visit https://moulton.house.gov or find the Congressman on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Medium.
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