The VA Health Care System

I'll throw a question "out there" for someone who may be more "in the know" than me. Why do we need a separate health care system for veterans? I'm not referring to providing health care as appropriate for our veterans - I asking why must we have separate hospitals and doctors from the general population? I am a veteran, with a service connected disability, but I must drive 75 miles one-way to receive routine care in an antiquated hospital staffed by career paycheck earners, most of whom seem to care very little about the veterans they are providing care for. We have a new 160M dollar medical facility five-miles from my house. I asked a local politician this question once. He told me it would be a huge loss for state to lose the federal jobs associated with the VA Medical Center (in Iowa City, IA BTW). Excuse me, but isn't the issue here health care for veterans? The more thought I give to this, I'm ready to start a movement. The brick-and-morter VA facilities have to go - lets integrate our veterans into the civilian facilities.Let's take the money we save and expand the civilian facilties to handle the increased patient load. What's your thoughts?

Hey, OP. I agree with you very much. While I only have to drive 45 miles one way for medical care, usually, I do have to drive 195 miles one way for follow up appointments for my kidney transplant. I used to use dialysis. The particular method I found that worked best for me was peritoneal dialysis. This method did not require having all my blood removed and cleansed every other day. Instead I had tubes in my abdomen and was able to change and fill myself with a salt solution 4 times a day. Inconvenient, yes, but to me, better than laying in bed for 4 or 5 hours every other day and feeling like crap every day. But the VA hospitals did not supply this method and I relied on Medicare and a private dialysis center. Cost me over 1400 dollars a month out of pocket for me, and that didn't include what medicare paid the clinic. I contacted my congressman and asked why can't the VA support this type of dialysis. My answer was, "because the VA doesn't support this type of dialysis." DUH!!! Great answer, eh? Meanwhile the next election I am happy to say I helped to vote the moron out of office. Anyway, because I asked about this and the congressman's office checked into my question, the medical folks at my VA were angry with me and treated me like crap ever since, because I was a "trouble maker". VA: always the last to get new methods and materials. Outrageous, ever changing requirements to get an appointment. Call all day for an appointment that they tell you, you need and finally get through to someone and they give you another number. Call all the next day and finally get an answering machine and leave a message, name and number. After a few days receive a call and then find out the appointment you were required to have right away will have to wait 3 months for. By then your meds have run out. Then all sorts of additional hassles to try to find the doctor to reorder the meds. Of course, the doc usually is on contract and is only in his VA hospital for one day a week. Rant mode is off. Good luck with your VA experience.

Oh, in answer to your question. Beats the hell outta me.

reply to post by Tippys Dad


To answer your question: Healthcare is a business. It sucks, but it comes down to money. I really don't have much else to say. What say you?

-Dev