Americans usually get to choose their own health care providers. Medicare and Medicaid recipients can choose any provider that accepts their coverage. Even military retirees using the Tricare system are allowed to choose their own doctor. But in the VA health care system, our nation’s Veterans are forced to see only those doctors chosen by VA bureaucrats.

The battles fought by our Veterans are not specific to the wounds they suffer from combat. Today, the battles our Veterans fight are with our own government and the bureaucracy and red tape of VA health care.

President Trump campaigned on REAL VA health care reform, much of which has already been achieved. The president understood the inequality of care our Veterans receive when he made his campaign promise: “We are going to ensure every Veteran in America has the choice to seek care at the VA, or to seek private medical care paid for by our government.” Unfortunately, to date, Congress has not delivered on that promise.

The Independence Fund recently called on the Senate Majority Leader and the Speaker of the House not to move forward on VA health care legislation unless it provides Veterans the full measure of freedom to choose their health care as they were promised. The bills being considered so far fall far short of that standard. We will continue to hold our elected officials accountable, but we need your help.

The time to act is now. This is the President who can bring fundamental reform to the VA health care system that our Veterans desperately need. We must stop treating our Veterans like children and let them choose their own health care. Until this change is made, our Veterans will continue to suffer needlessly under this system that has failed them. Our elected leaders must do better for our Veterans.

REAL VA reform means Veterans get to choose their own health care provider.