Long wait times overshadow other accomplishments

We last reported on this promise in 2012, looking at the four points mentioned in Obama's campaign materials: electronic records interoperability, effectiveness research, wellness programs, and accountability for performance and quality improvement initiatives. Based on significant improvement in those areas, we rated this pledge a Promise Kept.

Even back then, however, we noted that the Veterans Health Administration had longstanding problems with patient backlogs. In a separate report, we looked at his promise to reduce the Veterans Benefits Administration claims backlog and rated it Promise Broken.

On this promise, though, the Veterans Health Administration was winning kudos from academic journals for being a model or leader in health care because of its advances in electronic health information systems and comparative effectiveness research.

A spokesperson for Veterans for Common Sense told us there were other steps forward in veterans' health care under Obama, specifically an expanded suicide prevention hotline and a budgeting process that would mean fewer delays in providing medical services.

As of early 2014, though, those advances are being overshadowed by headlines about veterans dying while waiting for care at VA facilities in Phoenix, VA workers creating phony documentation about wait times, and other questions about the availability of care. We expect it will take some time to sort out how extensive the problems are and whether they are widespread throughout VA facilities.

Needless to say, if veterans can't access care, that puts into question whether the VA can claim to be a national leader in health care reform.

We expect to look at this promise again before the end of Obama's term. In the meantime, we're changing the rating to Stalled.