Veterans And The Universal Healthcare Debate

[allan]

VETERANS AND THE UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE DEBATE

Posted on July 19, 2009 by gordonduff http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.phpvar addthis_pub = \'peapolzmedia\';

FEW VETERAN FAMILIES ARE COVERED BY ANY INSURANCE

HEALTH CARE RATIONED IN AMERICA BY MONEY

By Gordon Duff STAFF WRITER

As a 100% Disabled Veteran, I qualify for full VA health care, including dental and optical. It hasn't been a perfect relationship. I got glasses a decade ago. They were broken and didn't fit when I got them in the mail. The VA has sent me to private dentists as they have not had qualified people available. It has cost me thousands. Specialist referrals are never made or have had year long waits and most problems or illnesses have been misdiagnosed.

The point? The VA is batting about the same as our wonderful civilian health care system but it is getting better, endlesssly better than it was. The VA is crippled from a few directions that, we hope, will not hamper a national system:

• The Bush administration saw DVA health care as an entitlement to cut rather than a right earned by those that served their country.
  
• A totally unaccountable bureaucracy, tied to conservative VSOs, is in place insulating the DVA system from serious improvement. This group stresses an organization that places patient interests last, contrary to mandated legal ethics. (In Bed With the Enemy)
  
• In some, perhaps many, areas, doctors and nurses face retaliation for supporting patient rights.
  
  
  Veterans come in 3 health care categories with many subcategories.
  
  

1. 
   
2. Retirees with Tricare
   
3. 100% Permanent and Total Disabled Veterans whose families have CHAMPVA
   
4. All other categories with no family coverage or dental and optical.
   

Category 3 is huge. It assumes that these vets are employed or retired with full health care covering their families. The VA assumes that the Veterans insurance carrier will cover co-pays and fees also.

The problem with this is that the number of people in the US with health insurance is plunging rapidly. Not only that, but those with coverage are watching that increasingly restricted with severe limitations on treatments and drugs.

Additionally, it has built a system tied to scamming money. The classic case is the endless number of new drugs being pushed onto the market that are either useless, if you are lucky, or totally dangerous. Unnecessary drugs are used because doctors are inundated with "drug pimps" and falsified scientific data. Can an entire country have "erectile dysfuntion?" If Congress is any indication, I would think we may have some fakers out there.

I have experience with the health care systems in Europe and find them superior to those in the US. Many say the French system is the best. Seeing a doctor in Britain didn't take more than 5 minutes, receiving treatment was frighteningly easy and they barely asked my name. When I took out a credit card to pay, they seemed insulted. They said, "Health care is a right, not a product."

It is my belief that we can get the DVA system on track, reform the medical ethics problem and deal with the disability pension problem that is both inundated with claims and totally mismanged.

We can do this the moment the VSOs step aside and a few key members of Congress get their own mental health issues taken care of. Current attitudes about veterans health care, in Congress and even Executive level show clear signs of delusion.

Perhaps those involved have previously existing personality disorders. I wonder if their insurance covers that?

In the interim, the vast majority of veterans have families either without insurance or at risk of losing coverage. Imagine a veteran running down to the local DVA medical center to receive treatment that he can't afford for his own children.

http://www.veteranstoday.com/modules.php?n...le&sid=8002

[broncovet]

The original post contains this statement which is not only highly political,it is quite controversial, and even biased against a political party:

"The Bush administration saw DVA health care as an entitlement to cut rather than a right earned by those that served their country."

The above statement is a direct attack on our former president.

With a beginning like the above, should we be suprised when this post turns into a political rant?

[john999]

If you want to worry about what the government is doing with your health care I just got back from my private pain doctor. Now if he prescribes for me I have to take a piss test for him which is reported to DEA. I advise all those out there on VA pain management to get a private pain doctor now before it becomes impossible to even talk to one of these guys unless you are wired as a undercover informant.

Regarding medicare before there was medicare old people had no health insurance because no company would insure them. The two programs the government has done right are SSA and medicare. I support a single payer system. What we have now is every doctor has a big staff just to figure out how to get paid by all these money grabbing insurance companies. They have 25-30% overhead for the private health plans. Medicare has a 1% overhead charge.

The reason some doctors have problems with medicare is because the insurance industry uses its clout in congress to encourage our politicians to reduce medicare payments to doctors. Most doctors like medicare because they get paid with no hassel. I have never had a doctor refuse medicare. I have had one refuse BC/BS.

Not one of us here could go out in the private market, and buy health insurance for less than $1000 a month and that would include no care for pre-existing conditions. If you get a chance to get medicare you better grab it. The government has 500 billion for defense they can spend some on us for our health. If you have medicare you have a choice. If you think the VA is mistreating you then you go private. No medicare then you are stuck with your wonderful pain management at the VA where you can get kicked off the plan for parting your hair on the wrong side.

[Tbird]

ok, take this to email or another forum