Nearly 1.7 million veterans have no health insurance or access to government hospitals and clinics, according to a report released Tuesday.

In Illinois, an estimated 227,000 Illinois vets and their family members are without coverage.

The study also says veterans are losing their health insurance at a faster rate than the general population, and the lack of health care is particularly acute among younger military members who served in the most recent wars.

The report comes from the Physicians for a National Health Program, which advocates universal health care coverage.

Lt. Gov. Patrick Quinn called the report's findings "shameful."

"Our soldiers put their lives and their health on the line for us," Quinn said. "Taking care of our veterans should be one of our highest priorities."

Quinn wants state veterans plan

Quinn wants to create a VetCare program, which would provide health coverage for Illinois veterans cut from the federal system.

"If you are uninsured and a veteran, the state of Illinois will find a way to get you health insurance equal to what the politicians have," he said. "The state will act where the federal government won't."

Robert "Lee" Newtson, 62, of suburban Elburn decided last year to drop his costly private health insurance and get his medical care through the Veterans Health Administration -- a benefit he was due because of two years of active duty in the Army in the '60s.

Newtson said it was months before he was scheduled to see a VHA doctor. During the wait, he ended up needing open-heart surgery. He said the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs balked at paying his $91,000 medical bill because he hadn't been seen by a VHA physician. Quinn's office stepped in and resolved the matter.

"I had to file for bankruptcy," Newtson said. "It's just not right. We all served our country and this is the thanks we're not getting."

Some areas lack facilities

The report cites several reasons former servicemen and women aren't able to access medical care. Some parts of the country lack VHA facilities, and those that don't can have long waiting lists.

Dr. Joan E. Cummings, director of the network of veterans' services that includes Northern Illinois, said vets in the Chicago region often don't have longer waits for appointments than people with private insurance. Veterans can see a VHA primary care physician within 30 days, Cummings said.

Access to specialists varies. The wait for an eye doctor averages 17 days at suburban Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital and 80 days at Jesse Brown VA Medical Center in Chicago.

The report also said that co-payments for specialty care can be too expensive for some vets, while others may not qualify for VHA care because they make too much money -- a threshold generally hovering around $24,000 a year.

The study said World War II and Korean War veterans had health insurance through Medicare, but many vets with more recent military service were without coverage.

One in 11 Vietnam War-era vets lacks health care, while a third of those under age 25 have no health insurance.

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