Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
We're working to fix a technical issue causing problems with our broadcasts. We'll have it resolved as soon as possible. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Montana politics, elections and legislative news

Sen. Tester On Why Veterans Health Fix Stalled In The Senate

Sen. Jon Tester (file photo)
Sen. Jon Tester (file photo)

There are now five and a half weeks until Congress takes its two-month summer recess. One bill that Senator Jon Tester had hoped there would be action on by now still hasn’t advanced out of committee. It’s the proposed bi-partisan fixto the troubled Veterans Choice health care program.

Veterans Choice is supposed to make it faster and easier for veterans to get medical appointments in the private sector if VA facilities are too slow or too far away. But veterans and private sector doctors and clinics remain frustrated with Choice.

When we interviewed Senator Tester about the bill he’s backing to fix Veteran’s Choice in March, he said he was hoping it would be out of the Senate and on to the House by Memorial Day. When he stopped by our studios last week, I asked him what happened.

 

Eric Whitney is NPR's Mountain West/Great Plains Bureau Chief, and was the former news director for Montana Public Radio.
Become a sustaining member for as low as $5/month
Make an annual or one-time donation to support MTPR
Pay an existing pledge or update your payment information
Related Content