Jump to content
VA Disability Community via Hadit.com

VA Disability Claims Articles

Ask Your VA Claims Question | Current Forum Posts Search | Rules | View All Forums
VA Disability Articles | Chats and Other Events | Donate | Blogs | New Users

  • hohomepage-banner-2024-2.png

  • 27-year-anniversary-leaderboard.png

    advice-disclaimer.jpg

  • donate-be-a-hero.png

VA Privatization News

Rate this topic


Recommended Posts

The average salary for a VA physician is $186,775 with a potential of

Cash Bonus (2)

$71,625

$8K

as an additional income from the VA.

https://www.glassdoor.com/Salary/US-Department-of-Veterans-Affairs-Physician-Salaries-E41429_D_KO34,43.htm

A good doctor in private practice can surely make more than that- but will need to pay for costly malpractice insurance, unlike VA physicians.

 

And another benefit of working for the VA is to have a 8 hour practice schedule,while private physicians probably all work many hours a week beyond 40 hours.

 

VA is not attracting good doctors to work for them- they have to hire contracting firms to supply doctors and other medical personnel who are not technically VA employees and not subject to the malpractice conditions of 1151 and FTCA. I am not saying thesde contracting doctors aren't good, but they can move around from one VA to another as I understand it, and might even be replacing a VA PCP that you have confidence in , have established a good relationship witn, and who is giving you excellent care.

I am sure the contracted medical people make far less than they would if they actualy worked for the VA- but not sure at all.

This AM about 6 :30 news mentioned that money is being allocated from the Dept of VA, to begin privatization -(the Choice program is not working well- they didnt say that on Fox but we all know it ) but I ony caught part of that news.

If someone hears this or gets a PR (Press Release) from VA I might miss, please post the info here.

I think it is Great News but then again the Choice Program ,at first, sounded great too.

I have no idea where the money is going to come from within VA to do this.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • HadIt.com Elder

Quote from Ms berta

''This AM about 6 :30 news mentioned that money is being allocated from the Dept of VA, to begin privatization -(the Choice program is not working well- they didn't say that on Fox but we all know it ) but I ony caught part of that news.''

Ms berta if they pass the privation act  does this mean veterans can use the private sector for their medical care and VA Pay?

 what about older veterans that are on medicare but do nor have a supplemental  to cover co pays  or prescriptions?

I did have a supplemental but it was like 140.00 month and I never used it   so 12 months at 140.00 (WOW)

  Well I decided to opt out of the supplemental coverage.  its just to expensive and we need the$$ to go for other things  maybe a mistake  and I might need to get the supplemental again but right now are trying times for my family.

I fit that boat , but so for I have used the VA for all my  HEALTH CARE  and no co-pay.  but its getting to where I don't trust these VA Dr's Anymore  and I would like to see a private Dr for things I do not trust the VA on.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Buck-this would only regard private medical care and not "VA Pay"- I think you mean compensation ("pay").

You asked "what about older veterans that are on medicare but do nor have a supplemental  to cover co pays  or prescriptions?"

I don't know. That is an excellent question.I have been trying to get my neighbor -a SC vet- to use his Medicare.

He finally called his vet rep after 20 years of me telling him they lowballed his condition.

They gave him 10% and I feel he should be TDIU or 100%. A 10%  1997 award for a DDD problem has caused him to hardly be able to walk. VA said he has so much arthritis that they cannot consider a hip replacement.

Not now they cant- they should have done that years ago.

He had to leave a message with the rep- who has not called him back.I told him to go over to the VAMC and see if his car is parked there- this coming week- the VAMC is only 20 minutes away from us .I dont think this rep ever returns phone calls. This state office used to be packed and had at least 4 employees.Now they only have one vet rep .

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Moderator

I read that, too.  It sounds like a great idea.  VAMC's are often overcrowded and over booked.  There is such rampant waste at the VA that private physicians can be hired for less, so why not at least offer the Vet that option.   VA HATES this idea, as do most VSO's.  They think "the government" can do this better than private practice.  They are wrong, and here is why:

    Its an economic principal called "economies of scale" and suboptimal interceptor allocation.   What it means is that "firms" show an increase in productivity and efficiency as they grow "up to" a certain point where firms are too large and become unmanagable and become wasteful.  A "mom and Pop" firm can grow and benefit by hiring specialists..such as accountants who know tax laws better than th owner does.  However, at somewhere "around" 100 employees waste starts creeping in and the company becomes LESS efficient.  The optimum number of employees for max performance varies with each company and industry.  However, our Federal government is EXTREMELY large and they probably waste half or more of the money they get, through rampant fraud and simply the attitude:  "It doesnt matter..its "the governments" money  so why should I care.  Departments "must" spend all the funds each year or face cutbacks in following years.  So, if they have money left over at the end of the year, there is incentive for them to waste it on whatever.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, broncovet said:

I read that, too.  It sounds like a great idea.  VAMC's are often overcrowded and over booked.  There is such rampant waste at the VA that private physicians can be hired for less, so why not at least offer the Vet that option.   VA HATES this idea, as do most VSO's.  They think "the government" can do this better than private practice.  They are wrong, and here is why:

    Its an economic principal called "economies of scale" and suboptimal interceptor allocation.   What it means is that "firms" show an increase in productivity and efficiency as they grow "up to" a certain point where firms are too large and become unmanagable and become wasteful.  A "mom and Pop" firm can grow and benefit by hiring specialists..such as accountants who know tax laws better than th owner does.  However, at somewhere "around" 100 employees waste starts creeping in and the company becomes LESS efficient.  The optimum number of employees for max performance varies with each company and industry.  However, our Federal government is EXTREMELY large and they probably waste half or more of the money they get, through rampant fraud and simply the attitude:  "It doesnt matter..its "the governments" money  so why should I care.  Departments "must" spend all the funds each year or face cutbacks in following years.  So, if they have money left over at the end of the year, there is incentive for them to waste it on whatever.  

I agree completely, I just waited 4 months for the VA community care people to process paperwork for me to see an outside provider for ONE of my issues that the VA cannot take care of.......it took them that long just to process.  During that 4 months I paid out of pocket 4 times to be seen at an urgent care for steroid shots, prescriptions, etc. because my VA clinic wasn't even open and I was covered from head to toe in hives.  The only reason it was finally pushed through was because I kept calling and complaining as did my husband, after I received the paperwork I was seen by the specialist in the same city my local VA is within a week.  All the things the VA had been doing were absolutely the worst things and the meds were not even recommended for what was going on with me at all.  Choice isn't even involved anymore here, it is all handled at the regional hospital and it is a huge mess!  I still have 4 requests for non va care that were put in by my primary in October that haven't been processed.  Unacceptable is an understatement imo, I hope that this means the providers I want to continue seeing I can and the ones I don't want to or there aren't any I can go anywhere I choose, my dependents have better choices than I do.  I would prefer to have Tricare standard (now select) and actually pay copays than the crap choices I have now honestly.  Six hours round trip drive for a pap smear???  No one can convince me that paying me travel, the fact that I am unable to drive and unable to take the DAV van so my unpaid caregiver has to take off work to take me isn't an undue burden on him.  Complete crap.  I live in a decent size city, there are two major hospitals, plenty of specialists in every field.  It is absurd that a veteran has to travel 6 hours just because there is a crappy little clinic locally that provides "some" care and I do put that care in quotes for a reason. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

38 minutes ago, SEALVET-33 said:

I want to say I guess it depends on the VA you go to. I would like to think they have some good ones out there with good people who help and assist vets. I have only been to 3, and they were all crap and the people who worked there were horrible, especially in L.A. They all seemed to be a bunch of hoodlums and people who were selling drugs on the side or soemthing. And when they discharged me out of the homeless domicle when I was trying to push myself to work and get on my feet, it is something I would never forget considering I was struggling with a condition and I needed help. i can see how vets off themselves such situations. From the VSO's to the doctors..they were so concerned on painting a good picture and stating everything was ok with me at the time so they would not have to assist me and sc me. I think its a great idea for them to allow the veteran to choose who they want to recieve care from if that is possible. if the VA actually assisted the veteran I doubt anyone would want to leave and would speak in good favor of them. I know I would. ...but I had diffrent experiences.

I do have some good specialists at the VA and had some great ones that left.  I will say that I had no complaints for years, almost a decade and the last 5-7 years have been a complete fight for some of my care.  MH is awful where I live as is my primary care.  It is sad that one provider leaving can have such a huge impact on your care and when you live where there is a small clinic you really have no choice who you see. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Guidelines and Terms of Use