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"The VA runs the largest integrated health-care system in the country, with more than 1,400 hospitals, clinics and nursing homes employing 14,800 doctors and 61,000 nurses. And by a number of measures, this government-managed health-care program--socialized medicine on a small scale--is beating the marketplace."
BULLS***! This from a veteran with a service connected disability, a father-in-law on VA, a father with a service connected disability, and several uncles who all use VA from time to time.
BULLS***! This from a veteran with a service connected disability, a father-in-law on VA, a father with a service connected disability, and several uncles who all use VA from time to time.
I can't speak for you, but according to recent studies the VA is beating the market in terms of overall health care. My wife also has private insurance that she may use for other things, but for the majority of her health care she utilizes the VA.
BULLS***! This from a veteran with a service connected disability, a father-in-law on VA, a father with a service connected disability, and several uncles who all use VA from time to time.
My partner's grandfather all through his life drove to boise from idaho falls just to go to the VA hospital.. even though he had health insurance through his employer... so they can't be too bad.. Idaho falls to boise is a 4 hour drive...
My partner's grandfather all through his life drove to boise from idaho falls just to go to the VA hospital.. even though he had health insurance through his employer... so they can't be too bad.. Idaho falls to boise is a 4 hour drive...
That's because of his out-of-pocket cost. Some VA Hospitals are that bad and I disagree with the title of the topic which claims VA became the best health care. That is absolutely false. I suspect that article was writen by someone who is 100% in favor of government run healthcare and is trying to use the VA as an example but is glossing over the bad history and bad times VA patients have gone through.
That's because of his out-of-pocket cost. Some VA Hospitals are that bad and I disagree with the title of the topic which claims VA became the best health care. That is absolutely false. I suspect that article was writen by someone who is 100% in favor of government run healthcare and is trying to use the VA as an example but is glossing over the bad history and bad times VA patients have gone through.
just like how private sector patients have gone through....
if it's private sector.. it's ok to have the discrepencies...but if it's government... then the crazies are relentless...
government socialized medicine works... if it's funded properly and the only way it's going to be funded properly is if elected officials make it a priority...
problem is.. conservatives hate the entire premis of it.. just like the education system.. so when they're in power.. they cut funding.. so that the program underperforms.. and then all their lap dog followers blow fog horns over how the "government can't run anything right"
problem isn't socialized medicine.. the problem is.. nobody is willing to get on the same page.. and conservatives won't back anything like that until hell freezes over.. so just imagine what they'll do to it when in power governing it???
it's catch 22...
I've seen the same things in public education.. when the United States first implemented public schooling.. we were number one in the world!! for over a decade!! then the naysayers and private special interests got their hands in it.. and over the course of time.. funding got cut.... mismanagement of funds..and the list goes on.... and now it's a disaster in many areas of the country...
but we don't dare get rid of it.. because it is still a priority high up in most american's minds even though they don't fully understand the tug of war of political ideology and special interests going on behind closed doors in it every day...they like to jump on their little political bandwagons with total disregard of the facts...
bottomline .. UHC isn't going to be perfect... but what we got now is far from perfect too...
where do we as a society come together in values and say.. "this" is important.. and is a right not just a privilege in our society?? an education is a RIGHT! it wasn't necessarily a right by any means 100 years ago.. but today we have different standards as a society...which will always be the case as time progresses...with education being a right so should being able to see the doctor without facing financial ruin...
And yet our nation spends more money per student than virtually all the nations that out perform our nation's students so your point about cutting funding for public school is meaningless especially since the topic is VA healthcare. With the federal government continuing to borrow money from China and other nations, exactly how is the federal government going to pay for universal health care? Taxing the rich has already been shown to not be enough to cover everyone.
Quote:
Originally Posted by boiseguy
just like how private sector patients have gone through....
if it's private sector.. it's ok to have the discrepencies...but if it's government... then the crazies are relentless...
government socialized medicine works... if it's funded properly and the only way it's going to be funded properly is if elected officials make it a priority...
problem is.. conservatives hate the entire premis of it.. just like the education system.. so when they're in power.. they cut funding.. so that the program underperforms.. and then all their lap dog followers blow fog horns over how the "government can't run anything right"
problem isn't socialized medicine.. the problem is.. nobody is willing to get on the same page.. and conservatives won't back anything like that until hell freezes over.. so just imagine what they'll do to it when in power governing it???
it's catch 22...
I've seen the same things in public education.. when the United States first implemented public schooling.. we were number one in the world!! for over a decade!! then the naysayers and private special interests got their hands in it.. and over the course of time.. funding got cut.... mismanagement of funds..and the list goes on.... and now it's a disaster in many areas of the country...
but we don't dare get rid of it.. because it is still a priority high up in most american's minds even though they don't fully understand the tug of war of political ideology and special interests going on behind closed doors in it every day...they like to jump on their little political bandwagons with total disregard of the facts...
And yet our nation spends more money per student than virtually all the nations that out perform our nation's students so your point about cutting funding for public school is meaningless especially since the topic is VA healthcare. With the federal government continuing to borrow money from China and other nations, exactly how is the federal government going to pay for universal health care? Taxing the rich has already been shown to not be enough to cover everyone.
states govern education moreso than the fed fyi... fed only sets minimum standards.. so apples to oranges depending on what you want to talk about.. but anyway.. back to UHC....
other things will certainly have to take a backseat then won't it???
it's about priorities...
if a nation doesn't have it's health.. it doesn't have anything...
you can put a man on the moon all you want.. but if you can afford great war machines, top secret science projects, and weapons of mass destruction.. yet can't ensure basic healthcare access to your citizens...
then just how great of a nation are you???
Everything I have ever heard about the VA hospitals and drs have been, well - negative.
To give you two examples:
My aunt died while being treated at a VA hospital in CA. A dr approached my dad (her brother) at the funeral and urged my dad to get the family to sue as her care was beyond substandard. The family opted not to in part because to sue a VA dr for malpractice is the same as suing the federal government which I believe is against the law? At the very least it is extremely difficult.
The second example is my SIL whose son had brain damage due to a tramatic birth injury. The dr was at fault. The flip side of this was that she did say that the pediatric drs her son has been going to since then have been excellent.
There are good and bad drs in the private sector as well. The difference is that in the private sector one can change drs easily - this is not the case with the military. You get who you get plus a bad dr can have an entire career with no ramificiations for his ineptitude.
Of course bad drs in the private sector also have long careers - but we can choose to not see the 'bad' dr, and I don't think that is the case with VA drs. If we are to follow the VA model, then we must make sure that we have the choice of which drs to see or not to see.
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