Major candidates for the soon-to-be vacant Hawaii 1st Congressional District seat are calling for reforms at the troubled Department of Veterans Affairs but are stopping short of calling for the resignation of Hawaii-born Secretary Eric Shinseki.
Republican candidate Charles Djou, an Army reservist who served in Afghanistan, said he supports a plan allowing U.S. veterans the option to choose private health care providers with their VA benefits instead of being required to use Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals and providers.
Djou said National Guard personnel and military reservists already are allowed to use a portion of their benefits on private medical care; a similar program exists with Medicare beneficiaries who can obtain private health care insurance through the Advantage Plus program.
Similarly, "any veteran should be allowed to take his or her allotted veterans benefits and immediately use them at a private health care facility," Djou told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser in an interview Monday.
The VA and Shinseki have come under fire for delays, incompetence, inefficiency and even cover-ups at VA facilities across the country. The department’s inspector general has confirmed that 26 VA facilities are under investigation, with some reports suggesting that at least 23 vets have died while waiting to obtain care. A number of congressional members and the American Legion have called for Shinseki’s resignation.
Currently, veterans can obtain private care if VA options are not available near where they live. House Veterans Affairs Chairman Jeff Miller, R-Fla., has proposed allowing vets to seek private medical care when they need to wait more than 30 days for a VA medical appointment.
Most Democratic candidates for the 1st Congressional District seat that the Star-Advertiser spoke with Monday said they support opening up more private care options for veterans but that they see Djou’s position as extreme and possibly detrimental to both the patients and the VA system.
State Rep. Mark Takai (D, Halawa-Aiea-Newtown), a lieutenant colonel in the Hawaii National Guard who was also deployed in the Middle East, said it makes sense to allow more private medical care options to veterans as their numbers swell in the wake of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"I don’t know if opening it up to the private providers carte blanche is the solution," Takai said. "I think it’s probably between that and 30 days."
Additionally, "I think it would overwhelm our private system," he said.
State Senate President Donna Mercado Kim (D, Kalihi Valley-Moanalua-Halawa) said she supports giving the VA a chance to do its work first.
"There should be a trigger in the coverage that says if you have a period of waiting longer than say, 30 days, then you can go to your own medical doctor," Kim said.
Djou’s idea suggests there should be no VA, Kim said, and more information is necessary before that happens. "Are we going to fix it, or are we going to do away with it?"
City Councilman Ikaika Anderson said he does not support an all-open option that Djou wants, but also feels a 30-day period wait would be too long for someone who’s "really, really got some medical issues."
Anderson said he wants to see the full impact on veterans and the federal government before agreeing to allowing all vets to opt out of VA care at any time. "If most opt out, then what happens to those who stay?"
State Sen. Will Espero (D, Ewa Beach, Iroquois Point) said he favors establishing a pilot project in several cities that would allow a private care option for vets who don’t get an appointment in 30, possibly 45 days.
Espero said, "We need to make it less costly and more efficient and maintain a high-level quality of care. That’s most important."
Councilman Stanley Chang said he wants to see the specifics of the plans by Djou and Miller before stating whether he supports them. But generally, "I do not support the idea of subjecting our veterans to the whims of the private health care system," Chang said.
Further, "the VA’s current problems are partly the result of inadequate funding," Chang said.
Activist Kathryn Xian said she does not believe a move for vets to obtain more private care would address the core issues at the VA. Legislation needs to be enacted that would make the VA more accountable and transparent.
Xian said, "To make this proposal more effective, I would amend it to ensure that referring veterans to non-VA facilities is seen as a temporary safety net for our veterans instead of a long-term approach that shifts responsibility for veterans’ care away from the VA."
None of the candidates said they support firing Shinseki.
U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa, the 1st District incumbent, is forgoing re-election this year to challenge U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz.
