VA Health Care
Opportunities to Increase Efficiency and Reduce Resource Needs Gao ID: T-HEHS-96-99 March 8, 1996With a fiscal year 1995 appropriation of $16.2 billion, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care system faces mounting pressure to contain or reduce spending as part of governmentwide efforts to reach a balanced budget. This testimony addresses (1) VA's forecasts of future resource needs, (2) opportunities to run the VA system more efficiently, (3) differences between VA and the private sector in terms of initiatives to become more efficient, and (4) recent VA efforts to reorganize its health care system and create incentives to operate more efficiently.