VA Privatization News

[Buck52]

@Ms berta

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

not meaning compensation PAY but the payment paid to the private Dr's for treatment render/with appointment or E.R.

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

Same here will the privatization act pay for this...or a better way to ask   with the privatization act pay for all veterans healthcare  in the private sector?

 Note:With Approval  of the VA.   Before Veteran seeks the private care...

Reason I ask this is  I was told by a VA Executive in the Administration part of the VA  that if the VA Has the facility and tools and the qualified Dr's to help a Veteran with his medical needs S.C. or not  he can seek this service from the VA With little or no cost to the veteran  other than they maybe a small co-pay.

I Understand that part  but its a matter of trust with me ,I do not trust some of those VA Dr's  even if they are qualified ,  some of them can't be over 29 /30 years old and no experience  and some are over 70 years old and make major mistakes.  eh!

I would not want a Surgeon to operate on me that shakes because of his dated age or just to old to pick up a surgical tool  or has bad eye sight  ect,,,ect,,, believe it or not they are Dr's like this at my VAMC.

.I ve been going to this one since 1998 and a certain Dr back then was like 65 and we all thought he was retiring...well he is still there.  I and other veterans that know him refuse his care..we either pay out of pocket to private sector  or ask for another VA Dr  and hope and pray we get a decent Dr that knows what the heck he/she is doing.

Edited January 14, 2019 by Buck52

[john999]

I have been getting a new PCP at the VA about once a year now for the last 5-6 years.  I had a couple of decent doctors back about ten years ago, but it has gone down hill since then.  I am not thrilled by the Choice Program dentist and PT therapist I had for a while.   The dentist was a crook and the PT  people were  awful.  The VA people in those fields were also poor, so now I pay for those things via my own insurance.  I use the VA but I have private medical back-up for all my medical conditions.  The VA said I had a heart condition ……… no treatment,  so I get care from private cardiologist.  I have never seen a cardiologist at the VA.  My PCP is supposed to be able to handle that.....ha!

[Berta]

I feel the VA will fight privatization-

Because a non VA doctor will see your VA medical records.

Same as getting an IMO/IME- and the privatized doctor might see medical errors occurred during your VA care.

Broncovet posted the BVA's annual report to Congress-

As one of the charts shows: (Page 31) (and is consistent in this respect to all past BVA Reports to Congress,

The Service connected Statistics included all DIC awards.My DIC check says VA comp.

The problem with this, it does not account for any awards of DIC under 1151 or 1151 to living veterans as part of the SC Statistics, in claims allowed by the BVA.

It makes it appear that the SC allowed claims are all for SC veterans.

Therefore, neither Congress or the public in general really knows how much comp is paid under 1151 every year.The VA does not want those statistics out.

In 1151 claims awarded at the RO level-those claims either DIC or 1151 to  living veterans, are also not accounted for by the VA for the Public or for Congress.And never get into the BVA stats at all.

For example- this is an estimate ( I  have a complete audit somewhere)

The VA has paid me about $ 316,800 -24 years of  Section 1151DIC.( past 24 years)

9 Years ago the DIC became  under direct SC death ( AO award)-that did not change the 1151 aspect.

My point is ( and this is report is evidence for my main OAWB complaint) that VA absorbs ALL 1151 pay outs to veterans and/or their survivors,into the allowed service connected compensation percent figures and anyone - even a Senator or Congressman, reading this report- would not know that the service connected compensation amount , paid for the allowed claims, by the US Treasurer Dept, does not reflect how much the VA has paid out due to valid 1151 injuries, medical errors, lack of proper dagnoses, etc etc to include causing the deaths of veterans under 1151 awards to widows.

There is no accountability for either 1151 awards or even those FTCA cases, that involved large settlements - that should have been reported to the NPBD, but were not.NPDB info goes to state data banks,whereby the public can review to see if their VA or private doctor has been sanctioned in any way for malpractice.

I dont know if we have any New Yorkers here but this is our state data bank of disciplined doctors.

https://www.health.ny.gov/professionals/doctors/conduct/

The VA doctors who malpracted on my husband were never reported to the NPDB and should have been. That meant they just went on to malpractice on more veterans.

One of them was a well know VA cardiologist at Syracuse VAMC.

This means nothing to most veterans in the VA health care system. The VA saves lives every day.

However the fact is that malpractice is very costly to the taxpapers, and without an accountability over it's True costs, VA will do nothing to prevent it from occurring and will protect it's doctors -even if the medical evidence is  overwhelming that they have harmed or killed a veteran.

 

 

 

                             

 

 

 

Edited January 14, 2019 by Berta

[vetquest]

As a retired veteran I receive Tricare and get all of my care through private doctors.  I now only see the VA for my annual checkup.  The MH and GP both tell me I am better off in the private sector and they do not want to provide duplicate care, at least they are honest.  I am going to try to get some new medication for my SC disability through the VA because the copay is so high.  

I am torn between wanting to see veterans be able to get private care and wanting the VA to continue to exist.  If they did away with the VA they may try to get us onto single payer and that would be no better off than we are now. 

[john999]

I have a suspicion that if the government supports private care there must be a considerable cost savings.  I hope the savings is not at our expense.  Every time the government changes the VA is seems I am worse off.  I am 100% vet, so my gripe with the VA is the fact they are usually behind current medical knowledge and treatment by 20 years.  My other problems is access since I must drive miles for care.  If the new VA was actually easier to access I would have fewer gripes.  I just don't trust these our VA masters.  We are usually the last priority for them.

[Buck52]

The way I look at it I wish we could go to a private Dr when the VA sets up 2  or 3 month appointment just to be seen and then another 2 or 3 months appointment to get any thing done   that's the way my VAMC Works  its a little better than it use to be ,..>6 months to a year to get an appointment,,,,I mean hell we could die before we get a chance to be seen from a qualified Doc.

It seems it just take them to long for the health care with the VA System!!!