Veterans Affairs officials will resume collecting some pharmacy co-payments for thousands of patients at hospitals in Ohio and Washington starting next month, but won’t pursue past debts related to the medications for now.
That decision came after advocates raised concerns about the financial impact of those past bills for veterans, some of which could reach over $1,000.
The affected veterans all receive care at sites that are using the department’s new electronic health record. Those include the Washington-based White City VA Medical Center, Roseburg VA Medical Center, Mann-Grandstaff VA Medical Center, and Jonathan M. Wainwright VA Medical Center. The Chalmers P. Wylie Veterans Ambulatory Care Center in Columbus, Ohio, is also impacted.
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Co-payments for outpatient pharmacy services have been paused there for several years as officials have worked through complications with the new medical records system and the end of the COVID-19 pandemic.