<p>Amid much confusion regarding the state of America&rsquo;s healthcare system, President Trump plans to sign a bill that will temporarily extend a program that gives military vets access to private-sector healthcare.</p>
<p>The bill, which Trump will sign on Wednesday, is designed to provide temporary services while Veterans&rsquo; Affairs (VA) Sec. David Shulkin develops a long-term plan that will enable vets to easily secure healthcare outside the VA medical system.</p>
<p>The legislation allows the VA to operate its Choice program until funding runs out. The Choice program ;has about $1 billion in its account; it would have expired in August without the bill.</p>
<p>As a candidate, Trump promised to overhaul the VA and make veterans&#8217; services a priority. He complained that veterans don&rsquo;t get the respect they deserve, and released a 10-point policy plan to make their lives better.</p>
<p>This week&rsquo;s legislation is a step in the right direction, but reforming the VA will be a long and difficult process.</p>
<p>For years, the VA has struggled with understaffed facilities and long wait times. The department&rsquo;s infrastructure is in serious need of costly renovations. According to a 2016 VA survey, only 60% of vets trust the agency.  ;</p>
<p>&ldquo;I do think it is going take a combination of investing in the right types of devices to modernize the system as well as managing the system differently to fix the VA,&rdquo; said Shulkin. &ldquo;The president and I have talked about what it&rsquo;s going to take to get the VA fixed, and he has provided us with the budget and the resources in order to accomplish that.&#8221;</p>
<p>Shulkin, a former doctor, served as VA undersecretary of health during the previous administration; he is the only cabinet member to serve under both Obama and Trump.</p>
<p>In addition to improving access to healthcare, Trump&rsquo;s plans for VA reform also focus on holding the agency&#8217;s employees accountable. Last month, the House of Representative passed the <em>VA Accountability First Act of 2017</em>, legislation that would expand Shulkin&rsquo;s authority to demote or fire employees based on misconduct or poor performance. ;</p>
<p>The VA budget is also a problem, with 57% of it going to vet benefits like insurance, pensions, and compensation to families after a soldier is killed. Of the remaining 43%, nearly 90% goes to medical programs.</p>
<p>Trump&rsquo;s proposed budget, which will likely go through several edits before it is approved, includes $78.9 billion in discretionary spending for the VA (this is a 6% increase from the year prior). It also includes $3.5 billion to continue the Choice program.</p>
<p>The VA budget increased dramatically under former President Obama, and many complain that giving the agency more money isn&rsquo;t going to help.</p>
<p>&ldquo;If you look at the budget of the VA and simply divide it by the number of people enrolled in the VA, there&rsquo;s more than enough money to fund veterans&rsquo; healthcare,&rdquo; argues healthcare policy adviser Avik Roy. &ldquo;The problem is too much of the money is being spent not on veterans&rsquo; healthcare, but on other institutional priorities like keeping open empty facilities that nobody uses.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Long wait times are still an issue, with the most recent VA data showing that in February 2017, about 97% of the 4.5 million appointments were completed within 30 days. For some, 30 days is too long. ;</p>
<p>&ldquo;If we don&rsquo;t fix what is already a broken system, as our generation starts to uncover injuries, we&rsquo;re going to have a harder time getting our care, or our care covered,&rdquo; complains Allison Jaslow, a former Army captain and the current chief of staff for &#8220;Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.&#8221;</p>