BigRedBuster Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 What is the solution? One veteran's experience Cards on the problem are at the bottom of the article. Link to comment
Junior Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 What a completely F-ed up situation. I don't know what the entire solution is, this is far above my pay grade. But I think it has to start with hiring more care providers. Seems to me that this would cut down on wait times. Link to comment
BigRedBuster Posted May 30, 2014 Author Share Posted May 30, 2014 Well, this is a first step. Shinseki will resign However, I feel there are problems much deeper than just getting rid of the man at the top. Articles I have read point partly to the massive influx of new veterans into the system due to the Iraq and Afghan wars. However, when I worked in the health care system in the 80s and 90s, I would hear bad stories about the VA system. Also, veterans I have known somewhat have always had a love hate relationship with the VA system. Yes, they are appreciative that the government has something for them. However, I have heard many horror stories of trying to work through the system and not always getting the care they need. Link to comment
Junior Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 Why aren't the veterans just allowed to go anywhere for care? Why don't we just supply them with health insurance to go get the care they need wherever they want?? Link to comment
BigRedBuster Posted May 30, 2014 Author Share Posted May 30, 2014 Why aren't the veterans just allowed to go anywhere for care? Why don't we just supply them with health insurance to go get the care they need wherever they want?? I honestly don't know. That has always seemed like the logical way to go about it for me. American hospitals might be extremely expensive, but, we have some amazing facilities all across this nation that give patients top notch health care. I have never understood then why we make veterans go to other facilities outside this system. Now, I can somewhat understand it for issues that pertain mostly only to veterans such as PTSD issues and certain types of war injuries that simply the normal population doesn't see. BUT, let's say I'm a 60 year old veteran that has emphysema from smoking for the last 45 years. Why wouldn't I be put through the normal health care system? All I can say is veteran advocacy groups fight against it for some reason. 1 Link to comment
Junior Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 Why aren't the veterans just allowed to go anywhere for care? Why don't we just supply them with health insurance to go get the care they need wherever they want?? I honestly don't know. That has always seemed like the logical way to go about it for me. American hospitals might be extremely expensive, but, we have some amazing facilities all across this nation that give patients top notch health care. I have never understood then why we make veterans go to other facilities outside this system. Now, I can somewhat understand it for issues that pertain mostly only to veterans such as PTSD issues and certain types of war injuries that simply the normal population doesn't see. BUT, let's say I'm a 60 year old veteran that has emphysema from smoking for the last 45 years. Why wouldn't I be put through the normal health care system? All I can say is veteran advocacy groups fight against it for some reason. I think we are in complete agreement here! (There's a first time for everything!!) Especially in light of the recent VA claims, if there is that big of a backlog of patients waiting to be seen, simply release them to get care anywhere and the problem is essentially over. Right? There also may be something to this: Burr, who serves as ranking Republican on the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, wrote in his letter that staff at various groups “has ignored the constant VA problems expressed by their members and is more interested in their own livelihoods and Washington connections than they are to the needs of their own members.” Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2014/05/richard-burr-vietnam-veterans-veterans-affairs-scandal-va-107147.html#ixzz33DoJGmmZ I mean, this is not a new problem the veteran's associations had to know about this. It was in Bush's report to Obama's transition team for crying out loud. Like unions, once useful, now just a political fundraising organization... Link to comment
carlfense Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 Why aren't the veterans just allowed to go anywhere for care? Why don't we just supply them with health insurance to go get the care they need wherever they want?? I honestly don't know. That has always seemed like the logical way to go about it for me. American hospitals might be extremely expensive, but, we have some amazing facilities all across this nation that give patients top notch health care. I have never understood then why we make veterans go to other facilities outside this system. Now, I can somewhat understand it for issues that pertain mostly only to veterans such as PTSD issues and certain types of war injuries that simply the normal population doesn't see. BUT, let's say I'm a 60 year old veteran that has emphysema from smoking for the last 45 years. Why wouldn't I be put through the normal health care system? All I can say is veteran advocacy groups fight against it for some reason. I suspect that the reason is $$$. Link to comment
BigRedBuster Posted May 30, 2014 Author Share Posted May 30, 2014 Why aren't the veterans just allowed to go anywhere for care? Why don't we just supply them with health insurance to go get the care they need wherever they want?? I honestly don't know. That has always seemed like the logical way to go about it for me. American hospitals might be extremely expensive, but, we have some amazing facilities all across this nation that give patients top notch health care. I have never understood then why we make veterans go to other facilities outside this system. Now, I can somewhat understand it for issues that pertain mostly only to veterans such as PTSD issues and certain types of war injuries that simply the normal population doesn't see. BUT, let's say I'm a 60 year old veteran that has emphysema from smoking for the last 45 years. Why wouldn't I be put through the normal health care system? All I can say is veteran advocacy groups fight against it for some reason. I suspect that the reason is $$$. If you are saying $$$ in that it will cost more to go outside the VA system than stay in, then you might be partly correct. However, I think there may be other $$$ in play here. If you are administration in the VA system and if sending patients outside the system would shrink the entire VA then that is going to put your job on the line along with other people's jobs within the system. There is very large financial incentive to keep all these patients inside the system and not let everyone realize how well things can work by letting them find healthcare in normal health care market. You also have politicians that pander to veterans by claiming they are going to "take care of them" (done by both sides). Meanwhile, it might be easy for the other side to run against you if you are viewed as someone who is cutting VA benefits by cutting services that the VA provides. This would reduce your power in Washington politically which ultimately hurts you financially...and it goes on and on and on and on and on...... Meanwhile, you continue to have a program that sucks. Link to comment
carlfense Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 If you are saying $$$ in that it will cost more to go outside the VA system than stay in, then you might be partly correct. However, I think there may be other $$$ in play here. If you are administration in the VA system and if sending patients outside the system would shrink the entire VA then that is going to put your job on the line along with other people's jobs within the system. There is very large financial incentive to keep all these patients inside the system and not let everyone realize how well things can work by letting them find healthcare in normal health care market. You also have politicians that pander to veterans by claiming they are going to "take care of them" (done by both sides). Meanwhile, it might be easy for the other side to run against you if you are viewed as someone who is cutting VA benefits by cutting services that the VA provides. This would reduce your power in Washington politically which ultimately hurts you financially...and it goes on and on and on and on and on...... Meanwhile, you continue to have a program that sucks. Yeah, my dollars comment was directed towards the care outside of the VA aspect. It's a great idea at first blush . . . but how exactly would it work? Would a vet just be given a blank check to seek any treatment anywhere he wants? Would he be given a set $ amount that he could spend per procedure wherever he wants? (For example, here's $1,500 for your appendectomy . . . if you choose to go somewhere more expensive than that you pay out of pocket.) Quite frankly (and this won't be a popular opinion given the current scandal) I'm not convinced that the VA system sucks. It certainly needs improvement but patient satisfaction surveys seem to indicate that it "sucks" about as much as or slightly less than the private sector. It seems that most veterans and most veteran organizations want to keep and improve the current system. That's probably a hint that the VA system situation is a bit more nuanced than the currently headlines would indicate. Link to comment
carlfense Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 "The American Customer Satisfaction Index for 2013 shows that the VA health network, which serves more than 8 million veterans, achieved marks equal to or better than those in the private sector. . . The health system earned overall satisfaction indexes of 84 for inpatient care and 82 for outpatient services, while the U.S. hospital industry earned scores of 80 and 83 in those categories, respectively. . . . Veterans overwhelmingly expressed positive views about customer service at VA health centers, with more than 90 percent survey respondents indicating favorable opinions for inpatient and outpatient care." http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/federal-eye/wp/2014/04/17/va-hospitals-on-par-with-private-sector-for-patient-satisfaction/ Link to comment
carlfense Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 Gawker, FWIW. NSFW language. "Shinseki Wasn't the Problem: "Taxpayers Get What They @#% Pay For" Link to comment
Excel Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 I have not paid as much attention to this as I probably. I'm just got annoyed by the story after I heard Rush Limbaugh digging into General Shinseki...I mean really digging into him and talking crap about him past the just the VA scandal bit. Rush digging into Shinseki when he himself got out of Vietnam for ingrown hairs on his butt really tweaked me. Link to comment
BigRedBuster Posted May 31, 2014 Author Share Posted May 31, 2014 Why would anyone listen to Rush? Link to comment
Excel Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 Not by choice really, I just occasionally turn him on to see what he's spouting off about. Only really get three non-music stations where I live. A KC sports station, an NPR station that plays classical music for all but five hours a day and a right-wing talk station that carries Rush. When NPR and the sports station have nothing I turn the talk station on. Link to comment
tschu Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 awker, FWIW. NSFW language. "Shinseki Wasn't the Problem: "Taxpayers Get What They @#% Pay For" Yeeeeeep. Although the big scandal is about the coverup (obv the hideously dirty administrators fault alone), the root cause underlying that is much deeper it seems like. Probably extends to other government-run agencies too. Link to comment
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