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Every city in our nation has at least one hospital. Every county in our nation has at least one hospital.
We do not have a shortage of MDs, we do not have a shortage of medical specialists, nor do we have a shortage of hospitals.
There is no 'need' for a separate distinct nation-wide network of government-run hospitals, in our culture where we are already full-up with hospitals and doctors.
Our nation's current problems with healthcare is the high cost. The problem is NOT due to a doctor shortage. Nor is the problem due to any shortage of hospitals.
You need to get out more. There are counties in Texas without a single doctor. Kansas as well.
Every city in our nation has at least one hospital. Every county in our nation has at least one hospital.
We do not have a shortage of MDs, we do not have a shortage of medical specialists, nor do we have a shortage of hospitals.
There is no 'need' for a separate distinct nation-wide network of government-run hospitals, in our culture where we are already full-up with hospitals and doctors.
Our nation's current problems with healthcare is the high cost. The problem is NOT due to a doctor shortage. Nor is the problem due to any shortage of hospitals.
Not only do we have a doctor shortage, but it's going to get worse. Especially when it comes to primary care physicians. The other problem is the imbalance between urban and rural areas. Too many doctors want to live in the city, and not enough in our rural areas.
I've heard my share of horror stories including a botched procedure causing the death of a co-worker's father. (Which they never owned up to)
However, care varies depending upon location. CT has a good hospital. They work closely with the doctors from Yale. My other half got great care for his heart issues.
Also they're undergoing a lot more scrutiny these days.
Allow me my usual rant about the VA. I believe it should be for Retired Vets and any Vet injured while in the service.
The problem I see is Vets that have no service related issues clogging the system. Like servers that sat on their butts driving a truck in say Germany for 18 months now going to the VA for glasses, hearing aids, cholesterol medicine, etc. none of it service related.
I am a 6 year US Navy vet and have never been to the VA as I have no service related issues.
Allow me my usual rant about the VA. I believe it should be for Retired Vets and any Vet injured while in the service.
The problem I see is Vets that have no service related issues clogging the system. Like servers that sat on their butts driving a truck in say Germany for 18 months now going to the VA for glasses, hearing aids, cholesterol medicine, etc. none of it service related.
I am a 6 year US Navy vet and have never been to the VA as I have no service related issues.
End of rant.
Just so you know, the VA encourages all vets to use the system as the money the VA recieves from the Government increases with each registered user. I use the VA system and I PAY for services used. I learned of this program when O-care took away my affordable insurance and I searched for an alternative to either paying the fine or just not having insurance. Registering for VA healthcare exempted me form the fine...it qualified as an accepted insurance. The best part is that I have no monthly payment and only pay for services used. If my income falls beowa certain (Incredibly low.) level then I won't have to pay for services despite being seen for non-service connected issues.
So, by using the VA system, THEY get more money from the Gov because of me and then they get MY money when I actually use any services. It is a good deal for me as well as their services are MUCH less expensive than commercial Doctors.
FWIW I was medically discharged after almost 5 years...I just have a very low rating.
Allow me my usual rant about the VA. I believe it should be for Retired Vets and any Vet injured while in the service.
The problem I see is Vets that have no service related issues clogging the system. Like servers that sat on their butts driving a truck in say Germany for 18 months now going to the VA for glasses, hearing aids, cholesterol medicine, etc. none of it service related.
I am a 6 year US Navy vet and have never been to the VA as I have no service related issues.
End of rant.
I have 22+ years continuous active duty. I use civilian medical facilities. I do some volunteer work for several VA facilities...
VA medical services include diagnostic audiology and diagnostic and preventive eye care services. VA will provide hearing aids and eyeglasses to the following Veterans:
Those with any compensable service-connected disability.
Those who are former Prisoners of War (POWs).
Those who were awarded a Purple Heart.
Those in receipt of benefits under Title 38 United States Code (U.S.C.) 1151.
Those in receipt of an increased pension based on being rated permanently housebound or in need of regular aid and attendance.
Those with vision or hearing impairment resulting from diseases or the existence of another medical condition for which the Veteran is receiving care or services from VHA, or which resulted from treatment of that medical condition, e.g., stroke, polytrauma, traumatic brain injury, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, vascular disease, geriatric chronic illnesses, toxicity from drugs, ocular photosensitivity from drugs, cataract surgery, and/or other surgeries performed on the eye, ear, or brain resulting in vision or hearing impairment.
Those with significant functional or cognitive impairment evidenced by deficiencies in the ability to perform activities of daily living. but not including normally occurring visual or hearing impairments. Note: Veterans with normally occurring visual and/or hearing impairments that interfere with their medical care are eligible for eyeglasses and hearing aids.
Those who have vision or hearing impairment or combined visual and hearing impairments severe enough that it interferes with their ability to participate actively in their own medical treatment. Note: The term “severe†is to be interpreted as a vision and/or hearing loss that interferes with or restricts access to, involvement in, or active participation in health care services (e.g., communication or reading medication labels). The term is not to be interpreted to mean that a severe hearing or vision loss must exist to be eligible for hearing aids or eyeglasses.
Veterans who have a service-connected hearing disabilitiy that contributes to a loss of communication ability. However, hearing aids are to be provided only as needed for the service-connected hearing disability. Nonservice-connected (NSC) Veterans are eligible for hearing aids or eyeglasses on the basis of medical need. All such Veterans (including Medal of Honor recipients who do not have entitling conditions or circumstances and catastrophically disabled Veterans) must receive a hearing evaluation by a state-licensed audiologist prior to determining eligibility for hearing aids or an appropriate evaluation by an optometrist or ophthalmologist prior to determining eligibility for eyeglasses to establish medical justification for provision of these devices. These Veterans must meet the following criteria for eligibility based on medical need:
Be enrolled at VA medical facility where they receive their health care; and
Have hearing or vision loss that interferes with or restricts communication to the extent that it affects their active participation in the provision of health care services as determined by an audiologist or an eye care practitioner or provider.
Well today was a wake up call as far as using VA goes. I have copays for everything.
I went back to my VA dr because bronchitis wasn't getting better. Their xray machine was broken so sent me to local hospital for a chest xray. That came back with problems so I was told I need a CT scan to find out if I have pneumonia.
VA won't pay for it to be done locally so they want me to drive 75 miles to the VA hospital to get it done.
Have no idea when since I have to wait for them to call me.
So much for my dr getting the ct results STAT.
I'm not sure why anyone with health insurance goes to the VA. Especially here in Fla. I went to the Tampa VA once. It is wall to wall people. Much of the year it is filled with snowbirds, and visitors. Which adds to the burden. The place is overwhelmed.
So for me I go to private doctors, and leave the VA to others. To each their own.
I'm not sure why anyone with health insurance goes to the VA. Especially here in Fla. I went to the Tampa VA once. It is wall to wall people. Much of the year it is filled with snowbirds, and visitors. Which adds to the burden. The place is overwhelmed.
So for me I go to private doctors, and leave the VA to others. To each their own.
I thought just like you but decided why no use the system to my advantage. I mean if our federal elected representatives create the mess, I might as well use it to my advantage.
So, I first schedule a boatload of specialized examinations, test and procedures every January at the VA that are not connected to my disability. Every January I'm racking up expensive test and procedures (often at private specialist through Choice) that are billed to my private insurance because they are non service connected. My insurance company gets tens of thousands in bills from the VA. Since I carry a very high deductible health plan, the bills are applied to that deductible until met. So the VA gets hardly anything, but to my insurance company, I have now met my full deductible. The VA does not bill us for anything not covered by insurance so i never pay a penny even though it looks on paper that I'm paying over $15,000 in medical expense out of my pocket. If I play it right, I also can hit my max out of pocket through the VA. Once that's met, I forget the VA and use my private doctors and facilities paid almost fully by insurance.
If the system is broken and nobody wants to fix it, why not use the broken system to your advantage?
I'm not sure why anyone with health insurance goes to the VA. Especially here in Fla. I went to the Tampa VA once. It is wall to wall people. Much of the year it is filled with snowbirds, and visitors. Which adds to the burden. The place is overwhelmed.
So for me I go to private doctors, and leave the VA to others. To each their own.
That's what I do. I can get better health care closer to home with no co-pays.
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