Aspect of Health Law Has Been Helping Veterans for Years

As Supreme Court arguments for and against the Affordable Care Act began Monday, the retiring director of the country's biggest Veterans Health System district said one element of the law transformed health care for veterans long ago.

Director Thomas A. Cappello, 63, who will end a 40-year career with Veterans Affairs at the beginning of next month, said the electronic health record that most health systems are now in the process of installing vaulted health care for veterans from its bottom-of-the-barrel status to a system leading the way.