Today, Rep. Joseph Heck (R-NV), Chairman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Personnel, made the following remarks on the hearing titled "Stakeholder Views on Military Healthcare Reform:"
"This hearing is a part of the committee’s on-going project to comprehensively review the current state of the Military Health System and military healthcare, and based on this information, identify areas that need improvement.
I want to be clear that this process is NOT being driven by budgetary concerns. The overarching goal of this project is to ensure the Military Health System can sustain trained and ready healthcare providers to support the readiness of the force, while providing a quality healthcare benefit that is valued by beneficiaries.
To that end, the committee has heard from several experts, including current and former Surgeons General, the Under Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, and civilian health programs regarding the current and future challenges of providing healthcare. Today, we look forward to building on the knowledge by hearing from military service organizations regarding their members’ views on military healthcare. These incredibly important perspectives are crucial to understanding this multi-faceted and complex issue.
Our purpose today is to discuss both what works and what needs to be fixed in the Military Health System. We are keenly aware that military healthcare is an extremely important benefit, and any reforms must be thoroughly analyzed from multiple perspectives, and structured to prevent unintended consequences. Our discussion today is an integral part of that process.
We are joined again today by an outstanding panel. We will give each witness the opportunity to present his or her testimony and each member an opportunity to question the witnesses. We would respectfully remind the witness to summarize, to the greatest extent possible, the high points of your written testimony in 5 minutes or less. Your written comments and statements will be made part of the hearing record.
Let me welcome our panel: Mr. Scott Bousum Legislative Director, Enlisted Association of the National Guard of the United States
Vice Admiral (Ret) Norbert Ryan President and CEO, Military Officers Association of America
Ms. Joyce Raezer Executive Director, National Military Family Association"
