| I am
writing to express my grave concerns regarding
the proposed system for delivering medical care
to our women veterans.
As you know, in order for women to receive adequate
medical care, they need to have direct access
to primary care, mental health, and gynecology
care. These disciplines are considered
the three fundamental pillars for delivering
quality health care to women.
The number of women veterans utilizing VA healthcare
will likely double in the next few years. Within
the next 15 years, women are projected to represent
1 in every 7 enrollees versus 1 in every
16 today. In fact, the active duty
military force today is 14% female. Most
of the new women veterans entering VA care are
under age 40 and of child-bearing age,
thus creating a need for a significant shift
in provision of healthcare to women veterans.
Women veterans have chronically been underserved
by the VA. Women veterans have higher physical
and mental health burdens that their female non-veteran
counterparts and medical burdens comparable to
or worse that those of male veterans. Even
while utilizing VA services, women have
had to seek outside medical services more than
have men, especially for women's gynecological
conditions.
My concern is that the Women Veterans Health
Strategic Healthcare Group (a group composed
of VA administrators far removed from direct patient
care) has recently recommended that women veterans
be limited to a single primary care provider
who is supposed to take care of all her
medical needs, including gender-specific gynecology
care. Women in the private sector, with or without
health insurance, with Tricare coverage,
even those enrolled in Medicaid welfare programs,
not only have a primary care doctor, they
have direct access to an Ob/Gyn for all
their gynecological needs, from routine Pap smears
to complex gynecology interventions. This
is not fragmented care - it is the standard
of care enjoyed by women outside the VA healthcare
system. This same level of high-quality,
focused, gender-specific care should also
be provided to our women veterans who have served
and sacrificed for our country.
The Women Veterans Health Strategic Healthcare
Group has recommended that specialized
mental health providers by assigned and co-located to
ensure integration of adequate women's mental
health care as part of primary care. A
specialized gynecology clinician should also
be assigned and co-located in the women's health
clinic; otherwise, women veterans will
continue to be deprived of the comprehensive
and competent gender-specific care only
a gynecology clinician can provide.
In summary, we need to let our Congressional
leaders know, that just like the rest of the
women in America experience, women veterans deserve
the same direct access to a dedicated Gyn provider
for all their gender-specific, female-related
gynecology care.
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