South Dakota Sen. Mike Rounds and Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn have reintroduced the Veterans Health Care Freedom Act.
It would take out the Department of Veteran Affairs from the referral process and let veterans enrolled in the VA's health system to get care through local providers, according to Rounds' office.
Currently, the VA has to approve provider referrals for veterans to seek care in non-VA facilities.
“Our veterans deserve the freedom to choose where they receive care, whether it’s at the VA Clinic in Wagner or through a local community provider in Mobridge. I am pleased to join my colleagues in introducing this legislation to improve veterans’ access to the health care services they have earned,” Rounds said in a press release.
Similar bills have been introduced in Congress in the past, but never made it to the floor of either chamber.