The Department of Veterans Affairs is doling out narcotics to 160,000 fewer veterans than it was three years ago, a reduction of nearly 25 percent, and alternative treatments are on the rise.
With the Veterans Choice health care program set to expire next August, why not go back to the way things were before? The answer: 1 million veterans now rely on it, many with little choice in the matter.
Two years ago, the system that provides American veterans with health care was rocked by scandal when whistleblowers exposed that vets were dying while the Phoenix VA concealed them on a secret waiting list. Reveal revisits the scandal and investigates what happened next.
Veterans Choice is Congress’ hastily crafted response to the scandal of veterans dying while awaiting appointments at VA medical facilities. Many veterans call it “No Choice” or “Bad Choice.”
President Barack Obama has signed sweeping new narcotics reforms into law that dramatically change the way the Department of Veterans Affairs dispenses and monitors dangerous and addictive opiates.
