Zincy 
In Vino Veritas
Thr shittiest part of Trump's ill conceived "Mission Act" is dead.
For those who don't know, the Mission Act was basically an attempt to privatize the VA system. One part of it was the formation of the "AIR commission", which looked into costs saving measures, among other things. But the parameters of the Mission Act shunted the commission more towards cuts than benefits.
Their most recent report recommended shutting down dozens of major VA hospitals and redirecting care to private entities. In some cases, this would have shut down rural VAs and community outpatient clinics and pushinged thousands of vets into already overburdened local hospitals. It also would have led to a huge reduction in overflow capacity. As the "forth mission" of the VA is to serve as emergency services during times of crisis, with VAs around the country taking in non-vet patients during the hight of the covid pandemic, saving potentially tens of thousands of lives.
Congress thankfully killed the AIR commission today after public backlash.
For those who don't know, the Mission Act was basically an attempt to privatize the VA system. One part of it was the formation of the "AIR commission", which looked into costs saving measures, among other things. But the parameters of the Mission Act shunted the commission more towards cuts than benefits.
Their most recent report recommended shutting down dozens of major VA hospitals and redirecting care to private entities. In some cases, this would have shut down rural VAs and community outpatient clinics and push
Congress thankfully killed the AIR commission today after public backlash.