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VA Privatization News

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  • HadIt.com Elder

Buck

         I tried to use the VA for evaluation and treatment of my sleep apnea.  The pulmonologist only has one appointment date a week and that only early in the morning.  I just can't get there that early.  The VA hospital in Tampa is huge.  They are telling me that they have only one pulmonologist available to serve a couple of hundred thousand vets?  it is the same with all the specialists.  You can't get to see one unless you are dying.  If I could use the VA private care service I would do it if they provided a better quality care that was close to my house.  I am not driving 20-30 miles to see a VA doctor when I can drive a couple of miles and use my own private doctor.  I have three hospitals and numerous doctors within five miles of my house.  

 

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2 hours ago, john999 said:

Buck

         I tried to use the VA for evaluation and treatment of my sleep apnea.  The pulmonologist only has one appointment date a week and that only early in the morning.  I just can't get there that early.  The VA hospital in Tampa is huge.  They are telling me that they have only one pulmonologist available to serve a couple of hundred thousand vets?  it is the same with all the specialists.  You can't get to see one unless you are dying.  If I could use the VA private care service I would do it if they provided a better quality care that was close to my house.  I am not driving 20-30 miles to see a VA doctor when I can drive a couple of miles and use my own private doctor.  I have three hospitals and numerous doctors within five miles of my house.  

 

John999,  they have me driving 6 hours round trip from outside of Tallahassee all the way to GAINESVILLE for appointments!! It is absolutely ludicrous.  I need to go to gait and balance which is weekly but it is in Gainesville, no way can I do that with all my disabilities.  Tallahassee is 30 miles from my house, that is bad enough but at least I understand that, there isn't much in my county really but there is an urgent care that I use for things because if I get sick I know if I go to the crappy little clinic in Tallahassee I will be sitting there all day long and half the time they don't even figure out what is wrong.  Last time, the doctor looked at me and asked me if I need to be on all this medication.  I looked at her and said, "Have you looked at my diagnostic page?"  "The Va has prescribed them to me, you tell me?"  Cripes shake my head absurd!!  Yeah,  6 hours round trip for OT as well!! Neurologist and so many other things.  Thankfully my neuro is a great doctor and he does a lot over secure messaging and on the phone, he only makes me go down once a year because he knows it is a serious hardship for me. 

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  • Content Curator/HadIt.com Elder

After using VA medical care for 23 years, I can definitely throw my support behind partial VA privatization.

Nothing changes your perspective like the VA scheduling you for surgery and it turns out to be unnecessary because they failed to read radiology reports or listen to the patient. This has happened to me more than once.

If veterans like getting their care at the VA and don't mind the long waits, let them. I don't mind visiting the VA PCP a couple of times a year for routine care.

However, veterans should have the ability to see a non-VA doctor of their choice, show their VA ID, and the VA cover costs of the treatment - all without excessive delays. I have found that the VA takes about three months to do what the private sector can in just a fraction of the time. My dependents can use CHAMPVA to see a doctor of their choice, when they want to, and get the treatment they need very quickly - all covered by the VA.

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  • HadIt.com Elder

I agree with both Vync and Seminole.  I use the VA just to get some pills and to see their shrink about once every 2-3 months.  I just use the VA to keep in the system, but I am not driving miles in horrible I-275 traffic just for a few minutes of PT or any of the other services the VAMC offers.  If I lived a couple of miles from the VAMC in Tampa I probably would use the VA for many more services.  The area around the VA is known as "Suitcase City" and is a high crime area.  I would not live around there for love or money.  The VA was going to open a clinic at Fort Homer Hesterly Armory, but in the end the property was sold to a community center who bid much more for the property.  When the VA tries to buy property around Tampa they are usually outbid by 200%.  They are so cheap and so dumb that when they had the opportunity to buy up land to expand services it takes them years to come up with low ball bid and they get shut out of the deal.  Let's face facts....we vets are just the lowest priority in the whole system.  The lowest janitor at the VA is more important than a room full of 100% disabled vets.  What I really get from the VA is a check once a month.

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  • Content Curator/HadIt.com Elder
32 minutes ago, john999 said:

I just use the VA to keep in the system, but I am not driving miles in horrible I-275 traffic just for a few minutes of PT or any of the other services the VAMC offers. 

Completely agree. I am currently in PT, but my private health insurance covers it. My copay is $10 per visit and it costs me more than that to drive downtown and back. I just go to a facility close to my job and beats driving downtown an hour each way and having to deal with parking and the shuttle bus.

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28 minutes ago, Vync said:

Completely agree. I am currently in PT, but my private health insurance covers it. My copay is $10 per visit and it costs me more than that to drive downtown and back. I just go to a facility close to my job and beats driving downtown an hour each way and having to deal with parking and the shuttle bus.

If I had other health insurance I would gladly pay copays and not use the Va for much of my care, the fight just simply isn't worth it.  I am currently waiting on 4 community care authorizations to get through the system and they were put in on October 22 or 24th, still haven't received them, takes them forever to process anything. Of course when I do receive them the dates of authorization will be October 24-whatever months of care they give me even though it takes them 4-6 months to process them........insane. 

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