Promoting Better Health Care for Women Veterans On May 21st, 2009, I introduced H.R. 2583, the Women Veterans Access to Care Act, a bill that directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to improve health care for female veterans.  Women currently represent eight percent of the veteran population, and they are the fastest-growing group within it.  As the demographics of the military continue to change, women are enrolling in VA health care in unprecedented numbers. To date, 43.4 percent of eligible female veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan have turned to the VA for health care, and almost 85 percent of these women have visited the VA more than once for outpatient treatment. By 2020, 15 percent of veterans using the VA for health care will be women. All this means that veterans’ health care, which is now primarily tailored to men, needs to undergo significant changes soon. Female veterans who have suffered sexual trauma will require services created specifically for them. An estimated one-third of female veterans who have sought counseling at the VA report having been the victim of rape or attempted rape during their service. In addition, more female veterans than male veterans suffer from poor health, and women are also less likely to have private insurance.  The fragmentation of women’s care and a lack of access to all spectrums of women’s health services, from reproductive care to primary care, make female veterans an underserved population. Right now, the selfless commitment of female veterans to their nation is not matched by their government’s commitment to them. The Women Veterans Access to Care Act directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to emphasize four essential aspects of care for female veterans: physical health, mental health, improved tele-health services, and the hiring of health professionals who are specialists in women’s health issues. It also directs the VA to conduct a study on health care for women veterans in order to identify the main causes of stress, determine the most effective method to reduce such stress, and evaluate the various private and public health care systems through which women veterans receive care. Finally, it would direct the Secretary to report back to Congress one year after the date of enactment on the status of implementation of the bill and findings of the study. While high-quality, gender-oriented health care services are vital, they are not a complete solution. The bill also directs the Secretary to implement an outreach program to provide women veterans and their families with information on various available resources, including mental and behavioral resources. The bill grants the Secretary the authority to contract with a public or private entity to carry out this program, which will provide critical support so that women can access the services they need and learn about the challenges they and their families may face as they adjust to civilian life. It is my hope that the Women Veterans Access to Care Act will move forward, so that we can ensure all our nation’s heroes receive the quality health care they deserve.