Dennis Wagner
The Republic | azcentral.com
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
-The VA is moving to outsource care nationwide for up to 180,000 veterans with hepatitis C.
-The VA spent weeks developing the transition as patient loads surged and funding ran out.
-The sickest veterans generally will get top priority to receive the costly treatment.
The Department of Veterans Affairs is moving to outsource care nationwide for up to 180,000 veterans who have hepatitis C, a serious blood and liver condition treated with expensive new drugs that are costing the government billions of dollars.
A VA clinician who asked not to be named for fear of retaliation stressed that department leaders "haven't told anybody how it works. They've sent out a solution with no way to implement it."
The clinician added that VA leaders were warned months ago that pharmaceutical funds were being wiped out, but they did nothing until the decision to move patients into a community-care program that has been underutilized and heavily criticized.
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