Obama Passes Amendments to Protect Troops from Avian Flu, Improve Their Health Care
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
Printable FormatFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Washington Contact: Robert Gibbs or Tommy Vietor, (202) 228-5511
Illinois Contact: Julian Green, (312) 886-3506
Date: November 16, 2005
Obama Passes Amendments to Protect Troops from Avian Flu, Improve Their Health Care
WASHINGTON - Amendments offered by U.S. Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) that would require the Department of Defense (DoD) to issue reports on how the DoD will protect our troops from the avian flu and to explain what progress has been made to modernize the DoD's medical records system passed the Senate yesterday as part of the 2006 Defense Authorization bill.
Obama's first amendment would require the DoD to issue a report to the Senate and the House Armed Services Committees on its plans to protect our troops from an Avian flu pandemic. The second amendment would require the DoD to report to Congress within six months of the enactment of the bill on what progress has been made in its efforts to develop a more efficient electronic medical records system that will help ensure better care for our nation's troops and help them transition to the Department of Veterans' Affairs health care system.
"When pandemic flu strikes, many of our military and civilian personnel will be at high risk for infection, particularly those deployed in Asia where avian flu now poses the greatest risk," Said Obama. "Military and civilian personnel in this country also will also likely be involved in domestic response activities in the event of a pandemic. Our nation's security is contingent on a healthy military, and so we must ensure that they will be protected."
"We must also bring the Department of Defense medical records infrastructure into the 21st century by transitioning to a paperless electronic system. This will ensure that our troops receive better care faster, and will help them seamlessly transition into the VA health care system and speed up the disability claims process."
The Defense Department has received funding to make the transition to an electronic medical records system for nearly a decade, but the system still is not close to being complete. The Government Accountability Office found in a report released last year that one of the primary reasons for Defense Department's severe delays in producing a compatible medical records system is the lack of strong oversight in the process. Obama's amendment would require the Department of Defense to report to Congress on the development of its system, the timeframe for its implementation, a cost estimate for its completion, and a description of the management structure used in its development.