After Shulkin admitted to a budget shortfall in June, McCain joined other senators to express concern to VA about possible financial mismanagement.
Possible mismanagement? I think we’re way beyond possible and into bear-shits-in-the-woods territory.
You give money to private, for profit, companies and they lie cheat and steal!
Who’d a thunk it?
Dickheads.
How about this, Vets get set up into medicare/medicaid and then they can go to the hospital and Dr. of their choice, private or VA, but the rate of pay for the treatment will be set by medicare/medicaid.
When the Insurance Corporation Vampires immediately skin one third right off the top, what the hell do you expect???
I deal with the VA from time to time in my business and can tell you that it’s run extremely poorly and with virtually zero concern about wasting tax dollars. Almost every time I cross paths with the VA there’s a blatant mismanagement component to deal with. It and its affiliates (or private party associates) don’t even care to correct the things I point out when they come to light. Private companies are greedy, but the VA is incompetent and totally indifferent to the fact tax dollars are being flushed down the toilet.
How many reasons do we need to get one single payer healthcare system that keeps administrative costs low (3-5%) in comparison to private insurance (12-15%)?
Of course, I mean Medicare/Medicaid.
Think of the savings if we had just one system to provide oversight? Yes, it might not be perfect, but it would be a far cry from a partially working system that the Republicans want to destroy.
And, we have any number of examples around the world to model to achieve success. The rest of the world has done the heavy lifting!
Some may argue healthcare is an entitlement. Well, guess what? It is!
In a country built on the premise that we are ‘endowed with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness’, access to reasonably priced health care for all to meet their particular needs is an entitlement we all should be willing to fund.
Logical, practical and ultimately futile. The long-term goal is to get rid of the VA system or privatize it like prisons.
Republican goal anyway.
So there’s plenty of money for paying private providers to care for VA patients, but not enough money to fund the VA through its structural problems – problems that any private company would deal with simply by closing underprofitable facilities.
Politicians only ‘Support The Troops’ when it’s election time.
The VA handed over 2 BILLION dollars a month ago and the contractor spent it all- and it was supposed to last until December?
I’d say private industry found another pig trough to wallow up to. Line up at the Trump Trough you grifters and chiselers!
I have used VA medical services as have family members. VA service is geared towards vets and is very cost effective. Visit any VA medical center and talk to vets. You will become aware of both the need for VA services and the excellent service required. See this report from the American Legion comparing costs: https://www.legion.org/legislative/testimony/225841/examining-quality-and-cost-va-health-care That’s not to say VA service couldn’t be better. The system needs more money, but VA provides better care for less money than the private sector can or will. The Republicans use any dissatisfaction expressed (such as wait times which are a function of inadequate funding) as an excuse to get rid of or reduce the scope of the VA system. The current scheme to funnel money to private providers is one example of a de facto effort to defund the VA. It’s bullshit. Give the necessary money to the VA. They can do the job for less.
I think the government and the VA would be happier if veterans would die shortly after their service is completed. Then they would only have to pay a small death benefit and not have to keep forgetting and ignoring veterans all the time.
FIFY
So, privatizing veterans’ health care services costs way more than anticipated. Who could have predicted that?
Turns out wars don’t stop costing money after you stop fighting them, assholes. Taking care of vets isn’t cheap, but you damned well better do it, whatever the cost.