VA Health Care should be disbanded and shut down completely

VA Health Care should be disbanded and shut down completely

The VA healthcare system is a dismal failure. It has been a failure since it’s inception. It will continue to be a failure.

The answer is to add the Veterans who are eligible for VA health care to the DOD Tricare system for the qualifying medical needs. Doing this will allow Veterans to seek out and use any Doctor they choose with differing small co-pays or we can make it free.

Doing this would eliminate the tax payers of the expense and bureaucracy of maintaining the people and infrastructure of the failed VA Healthcare system.

The VA health care system has never adequately provided healthcare to Veterans and never will. One could argue that moving these Veterans onto Tri-Care standard would actually save taxpayers money by disbanding the VA Healthcare system entirely.

Veterans could then enjoy shopping and using the medical facilities and Doctors they choose instead of being herded through a on the cheap health care buffet line.

 

I have seen more good come out of the local VA hospital for the vets here than the regular health care system. Often they have to go there to get some of their meds taken away. They do a better job than many of the local doctors do. They don't seem to keep pushing pills.

Half the regular doctors here seem to be good at properly prescribing meds but the other half seem to like to get people hooked on pills and push more meds to combat side effects of their prescriptions. I'd swear that some of the doctors must have done drugs in college, so they think everyone wants to be in la-la land.

Shut down the VA healthcare benefits for Vets and there will be many upset vets, family of veterans, and supporters.

Big brother does not like paying for military veteran's health care and the health insurance industry would love to get their hands on veteran's disability and retirement checks.

If the VA eventually nixes healthcare and Vets are forced to pay out of pocket for service related disabilities then I do believe that may lead to the SHTF scenario and a revolution that many talk about.

a reply to: jrod

Uh the idea here was to give them tricare instead not take away their health care. Tricare much better it's what retired military use.

a reply to: Xeven

I agree, that could be a better alternative. My local VA clinic is overwhelmed with people seeking medical treatment.

My concern is there is a push to nix veteran healthcare benefits and forcing Vets and retirees to purchase regular health insurance.

a reply to: Xeven

I was wondering how long it would take and you are right on time. Find some bad deeds in the VA, expand that to mean the whole organization is corrupt and inefficient and then argue for its privatization. Damn you people are good.

a reply to: SlimBoom
VA has been committing bad deeds since its inception.

I would fight you tooth and nail if you closed the VA hospital that I go to. Great service. Appointment scheduling is damned good. They even have valet parking and the food isn't bad.

So thanks but no thanks. I will definitely keep what I have access to.

I was listening to the radio this morning talking about this. A caller called in and made a good point. Have you seen those those hospital billboards that have the digital clock on them that shows the current wait time for ER service? The one I see every day is usually around 5 minutes. Someone who was speaking on behalf of the VA hospitals as an advocate for reform said that two weeks is a target wait time for those hospitals!

The speaker on the radio show said that the reason its so screwed up is because of the large bonuses that the hospitals get for saving the hospital money. There is already an option to send Veterans who come to the VA hospital to another hospital for treatment, but doing so costs the hospital more money, and the hospital officials wont do that, because doing so would likely make them not reach their quotas and they wouldn't get their bonuses. One solution, the guy said, and other whistleblowers have said, is to take away the bonuses of the hospital administrators. They are saying that is the main reason why these hospitals are incapable of providing adequate service.

Tricare sucks. It's ruthless, fickle, and is presently reflecting the times of the Obamacare age. Some people think it's great until they get gerrymandered and Tricare says they aren't in the right region any more, so they have to relinquish benefits to get any coverage at all. Then they refuse necessary health care and say it's frivolous treatment. Rates for Tricare prime will have tripled by next year, over the last 3 years.

a reply to: Xeven

I dont think youre looking at it from a poor persons eyes. The only way I could care for my brothers colon cancer til he died...was thru the Detroit VA. The ONLY way. He was destitue, no money....certainly no options...and thats the only way he COULD have got treatment.

He did his service...was due free care...and I convinced him he had it coming...so he did, it was excellent...they took car of him...and he passed away.

I think youre forgeting those who cant pay a co-pay, cant shop around, and cant get any treatment any other way. He couldnt. Im guessing this whole idea wouldnt nor doesnt affect you, your family or your care in any way?

a reply to: Xeven

I realize in many ways and locations it's a mess.

However, I and my church bro have gotten very good care in the VA system and have no real complaints at all.

The staff have been top flight with top flight attitudes and professionalism.

I've greatly appreciated it.

The think the answer is to improve the VA, not privatize everything under the sun. Some things, the Government should be handling for the unique experience and resources only the Government can bring, when it's done properly.

Aside from that, when is the last time folks here have been to the local hospital? Does it feel empty with plenty of room and empty beds around? I'd hope it does, if the VA were ever to fall apart or be defunded into oblivion.

(Source)

There is quite a lot to the VA, when it comes down to it. It's not working real well in some areas.....but fix them. Don't break it more, is my feeling.

a reply to: Xeven

And going forward....not all VA facilities are mismanaged.

originally posted by: mysterioustranger
a reply to: Xeven

I dont think youre looking at it from a poor persons eyes. The only way I could care for my brothers colon cancer til he died...was thru the Detroit VA. The ONLY way. He was destitue, no money....certainly no options...and thats the only way he COULD have got treatment.

He did his service...was due free care...and I convinced him he had it coming...so he did, it was excellent...they took car of him...and he passed away.

It good to hear this report about the VA helping your brother.

Most of the people, myself included, who have had VA care have been very happy with it. Of course like any medical organization they have problems but, over all they do a pretty good job.

The doctors i go to at the VA are some of the best in the US.

West LA VA hospital is staffed by UCLA and USC medical schools.
www.losangeles.va.gov...

Its NOT the doctor that are the problem.

Its the administrators that runs the hospitals. and most of them are not doctors.

I am a retired EMT and have been in many hospitals Around calif as a EMT and rate the 3 VA hospitals in the LA area as some of the best.
And they treat around 3 million vets every year.

Government is corrupt. If it starts out honest it becomes corrupt. More than ever we need to disband VA healthcare and give veterans due health care health care insurance and let them make appointments with civilian Doctors and health facilities. How much can we save by shutting down the VA. Veterans wont have to wait for health care if they can just choose their own doctors. I love Tricare myself. I choose my own Doctors and medical facilities and have never had any care turned down. Put them Vets on Tricare for free covering their qualifying medical conditions. Simple fix and no more VA Health care liers, corruption etc... it wont exist.

originally posted by: jrod
a reply to: Xeven

I agree, that could be a better alternative. My local VA clinic is overwhelmed with people seeking medical treatment.

My concern is there is a push to nix veteran healthcare benefits and forcing Vets and retirees to purchase regular health insurance.

VA Health care just becomes a bureaucracy and you get a lot of retired military officers in charge who are used to cooking the books as they did in the military to make themselves look good. Our Veterans health is no place for such shenanigans. Behind every High ranking officer of the military is a mountain of cooked books. Trust me it is true. Then they retire and get placed in positions in the DOD VA etc...where their corrupt ways continue.

originally posted by: MrSpad
Most of the people, myself included, who have had VA care have been very happy with it. Of course like any medical organization they have problems but, over all they do a pretty good job.

I am not saying there are not pockets of good people and facilities. You obviously experienced one of the few. People who work for government eventually begin to see it as a cash cow and think they are hurting no one by milking that cow weather it be overtly or covertly it happens. Even you and I paced in certain positions might succumb to the lure of easy money and promotions over time. Disband the VA Health care put them in the civilian market where Doctors have to compete for business which drives some of them to do a better job than others.