{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/aiming-to-protect-veterans-from-exorbitant-emergency-room-bills-mccaskill-urges-va-to-comply-with-law", "Aiming to Protect Veterans from Exorbitant Emergency Room Bills, McCaskill Urges VA to Comply with Law", "2016-12-15", "2016", "2016-12", "Democrat", "House", "MO", "Claire McCaskill", "M001170", "www.mccaskill.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Aiming to Protect Veterans from Exorbitant Emergency Room Bills, McCaskill Urges VA to Comply with Law \n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t VA has failed to follow 2010 law requiring reimbursement for non-VA emergency care, denying hundreds of thousands of veterans\u2019 claims \n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tThursday, December 15, 2016\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWASHINGTON \u2013 Aiming to protect veterans from exorbitant emergency room bills, U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill joined a bipartisan group of senators to call on the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to properly follow a law requiring reimbursement for non-VA emergency care after the agency rejected hundreds of thousands of veterans\u2019 claims.\r\n\u201cSix years after enactment of the [Emergency Care Fairness Act], our nation\u2019s veterans continue to bear the burden of emergency treatment costs not covered by veterans\u2019 third-party insurance,\u201d wrote McCaskill and her colleagues. \u201cThe [VA]\u2019s continued denial of these claims is deeply troubling.\u201d\r\nIn 2010, the passage of the Emergency Care Fairness Act directed the VA to cover veterans with private health insurance in the event their private insurance doesn\u2019t cover the full amount of non-VA emergency care. However the VA has failed to follow the law since its enactment, denying hundreds of thousands of veterans\u2019 reimbursement claims for emergency care. Earlier this year, a federal court ordered the VA to write regulations that comply with the law. In addition to urging the VA to follow the law, McCaskill and her colleagues also requested that the agency fix its mistake and re-open all previously-denied claims.\r\nMcCaskill has been a longtime advocate for ensuring veterans receive the healthcare and services they deserve. Earlier this year, she worked to resolve unpaid claims of six Theodosia-area veterans through the Veterans Choice Program, which allows veterans who live more than 40 driving miles from or have other impediments to convenient access to a VA facility to receive care at a local health care provider.\r\nMcCaskill has led several efforts to increase\u00a0accountability\u00a0and\u00a0quality\u00a0of veterans services.\u00a0Earlier this year, McCaskill\u00a0released a report\u00a0detailing shameful treatment of veterans of World War II who were exposed to mustard gas, leading to her introduction of the Arla Harrell Act.\r\nFull text of the letter HERE.\r\nVisit mccaskill.senate.gov/veterans to learn more about McCaskill\u2019s fight for military veterans.\r\n###\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tPrint\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tEmail\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t  \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTweet", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/aiming-to-protect-veterans-from-exorbitant-emergency-room-bills-mccaskill-urges-va-to-comply-with-law"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 12.96247891150415, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}