VA readies massive contract for veterans’ private sector health care

The Department of Veterans Affairs is preparing to issue what’s likely to become one of the largest service contracts in government history as it restructures its arrangements, aiming for rigorous management of the department’s role as a health care payer and greater competition among health care management firms. The massive contract vehicle represents only the second time VA has signed large contracts with health plans to coordinate private sector care for veterans. The first was shortly after the MISSION Act was signed in 2018. Those contracts are now expiring, and…

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House passes bill to extend health care subsidies in defiance of GOP leaders

WASHINGTON (AP) — In a remarkable rebuke of Republican leadership, the House passed legislation Thursday that would extend expired health care subsidies for those who get coverage through the Affordable Care Act as 17 renegade GOP lawmakers joined every Democrat in support. The tally, 230-196, signified growing political concern over Americans’ health care costs. Forcing the issue to a vote came about after a handful of Republicans signed on to a so-called “discharge petition” to unlock debate, bypassing objections from House Speaker Mike Johnson. The bill now goes to the…

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VA in 2026 looks to get EHR rollout back on track, embark on health care reorganization

The Department of Veterans Affairs is embarking on major changes next year. It’s looking to get the rocky rollout of a new Electronic Health Record back on track. VA medical facilities already using the system have been beset with problems for years. Meanwhile, the VA is planning to roll out the biggest reorganization of its health care operations in decades. Here’s a look ahead at VA’s plans for 2026. VA EHR next steps VA is planning for its new EHR from Oracle-Cerner to go live at 13 sites in 2026…

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Dick Cheney Didn’t Care What You Thought

Back when he was a House member from Wyoming, Dick Cheney was part of a congressional delegation that visited the Soviet Union in the 1980s. During a lull in the schedule, Cheney and his colleagues were sitting around trying to entertain themselves when one of their wives decided to administer personality tests. The results included professions for which the members would be well suited. Cheney’s ideal job? A funeral director. I briefly worried that telling this story at this moment might be in poor taste, given that Cheney, the powerful…

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Senate Democrats, holding out for health care, reject government funding bill for 10th time

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Democrats rejected for the 10th time Thursday a stopgap spending bill that would reopen the government, insisting they won’t back away from demands that Congress take up health care benefits. The vote failed on a 51-45 tally, well short of the 60 needed to advance with the Senate’s filibuster rules. The repetition of votes on the funding bill has become a daily drumbeat in Congress, underscoring how intractable the situation has become. It has been at times the only item on the agenda for the Senate…

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Roundup: Dem Base Rallies Leaders to Stay Strong on Health Care Against the GOP as Shutdown Looms

See coverage in AP, Axios, Huffington Post, The Guardian, Politico  WASHINGTON – MoveOn Civic Action continues to encourage Congressional Democrats to stand united by refusing to agree to a government funding plan as long as ACA premium subsidies are on the chopping block and without any concessions from Trump and Republicans to reverse their massive healthcare cuts from the summer. Earlier this month, MoveOn sent a memo to Democratic leadership and appropriation chairs from Executive Director Katie Bethell conveying the grassroots will have their back if they keep their word…

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