VA Health Care: Expanded Eligibility Has Increased Outpatient Pharmacy Use and Expenditures

摘要

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) spent about $3.0 billion on drugs, supplies, and other associated costs to provide an outpatient pharmacy benefit to veterans in fiscal year 2001. VA's pharmacy benefit provides prescription drugs, over-the-counter drugs, and medical supplies to veterans receiving VA health care. VA's cost for providing the pharmacy benefit includes the cost of drugs and supplies, pharmacy personnel, and other operational expenses. In recent years, expenditures for the outpatient pharmacy benefit have become a larger portion of VA's medical care budget, rising from 12 percent in fiscal year 1999 to 14 percent in fiscal year 2001. The number of veterans treated by VA has risen during this time from 3.1 million to 3.8 million, in part due to broadening health care eligibility that began in fiscal year 1999. One result of this broadened eligibility was an increase in the number of Priority 7 veterans treated those veterans primarily with higher incomes and no service-connected disability.