Reasons why private medical care is often better than VA medical center care

[broncovet]

  While this is sometimes controversial, I have gotten much better health care "in the community" vs at my VA.  Dont get me wrong.  There are good VA docs.  And many good VA employees.  Here is why I think private care is better, however, and I would like to have the option of treatment at my VA or the community, at least:

"Community care" (aka private medical care) has been superior to VA care, IMHO, and there are reasons for this.  

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1.  Private doctors are not generally required to obey many of VA's rather "onerous" rules.  Example:  Private doctors can prescribe ANY medications available.  (They even have samples, sometimes, for free).  However, VA docs may only prescibe meds "on VA's formulary list".  New medications are often not on VA's formulary llist, sometimes because VA does not want to pay for them.  Specific example:

I can not get weight loss drugs Wegovy or Ozempic, because VA rules is that I must have diabetes to get them.  And I dont have diabetes.  Private docs, however, can prscribe those as they see fit, not handicapped with VA's onerous rules.  

2.  You can often see a doctor "much faster" outside of the VA rather  than in often cramped, overcrowded, often understaffed,  undersized, VA hospitals, such as Dallas VA and others.  

3.  VA often uses "doctors in training" and the doctor may or may not have the experience to thoroughly treat you.  

4.  LIMITS ON CARE>. 

 

     VA docs must often see many, many patients in a day.  They are often extremenly busy.  Sometimes I go to the doc with "more than one" issue.  Several times, I was informed I needed to "make another appointement" for the second issue.  This usually means I just forget it, and dont get great care.  

      I confirmed this policy with a family member who is a military doc.  Docs have time to see you for ONE issue, and then its on to the next VEt. 

       The VA has rules on maximum pay.  And, this specifically excludes TOP NOTCH DOCTORS, the best in their field, as they dont want to work, nor do they need to, work for VA's lower wage.  Why would top notch doctors, often with HUGE student loan payments, want to earn far less working at VA than they could in private practice.  

      Even worse, the unions at VA makes it very hard to fire incompetent doctors or administrators.  More often than not, bad doctors or bad employees are shifted to "another VA facility" rather than be fired.  I have seen multiple examples of this, especially in VA leadership.  

     I vote against expanding VA medical care (at my va hospitl) and they did not like it.  I would rather see Vets offered the choice of whther to go to VA or community care.  VA does not like that, as money would go to private care, and less for VA.  But they would serve fewer Vets.  We should be able to go to the vA because we want to rahter than we have to.  I dont beleive in Mandantory VA care.  

[Sgt. Wilky]

This is why I've been thankful for private care. If I had to, I'd go to the VA, and I the times I have, I have received good care. That being said, I'd prefer private care any day of the week.

More often, it's not the people, it's the red tape.

Semper Fi.

[broncovet]

The VA has 3 departments:

VA MEdical VAMC

VA Beneefits VBA

VA DOD&D  VA's Department of delay and deny.  The VA saves lots of money with its delays, and it will continue as long as it is profitable for VA to delay.   VADOD&D's job is to infiltrate the other 2 departments to delay for as long as possible.  

[Lemuel]

The biggest advantage of community care is the physicians do not have to follow the rules of not recording an etiology--as in more likely than not a resitual of...." which might be a service connected condition.

The disadvantage is they sometimes order studies or consults without forwarding the billing information for example, to read an MRI.  Too often the reader will assume, if you are over 65, that you have medicare part b.  I do not.  Same problem occurs at an ER.  I have to follow up and frequently forget to do so.  Forget to ask who is going to read the MRI for example, or Xray or do the lab work or ask the Rx to go to the VA pharmacy.

It was O K when I could remember to do all that but now I just try to get everything through the VA and give them community care's phone number if they send me a bill.  I tell them it is the VA's responsibility, I do not have part b because I have VA.  VA is trying to have Part B billed by the providers and forgets that all of us do not have Part b listed as an insurance.