S. 2649: Veterans Choice Equal Cost for Care Act of 2016

114th Congress · introduced 2016-03-08 · Armed Forces and National Security · Latest: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2016-03-08 · official record
Who proposed it: Sen. Rounds, Mike [R-SD] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Veterans Choice Equal Cost for Care Act of 2016

Plain summary

Veterans Choice Equal Cost for Care Act of 2016 This bill amends the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 to permit the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to recover or collect reasonable charges for hospital care or medical services from a health-care plan when an eligible veteran is furnished such care or services for a non-service-connected disability. The VA shall have the primary (and sole) responsibility to pay any related health insurance cost sharing amount. An eligible veteran shall not pay a greater amount for receiving hospital care or medical services than the amount the veteran would pay for receiving the same or comparable care or services at a VA medical facility or from a VA health care provider. (The bill repeals the VA's secondary responsibility to pay the costs of care in such circumstances.)

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Veterans Choice Equal Cost for Care Act of 2016

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)

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The strongest published arguments

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Alternatives

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. Rounds, Mike [R-SD] · 2 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

John Cornyn (R-TX)

Sponsor's campaign money: Sen. Rounds, Mike [R-SD] reported raising $3.8 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (1)

Bill: A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-114s2649.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/114/s>

Record fed-us-cong114-s2649 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong114 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong114