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Common Sense and then some
    
Location: So. California | RidenFly - 2014-05-02 8:38 AM Is healthcare, a industry that should be built on compassion, be over seen by Govt. red tape? Do you want a doctor with his hands shackled by "do's and don'ts?" Do you want people that make a flat rate? The great minds of this country will enter the universities NOT looking into medicine because it offers nothing. Instead they will turn to GAMING or something else when we need these brilliant people behind a scapel.
I can't wrap my mind around the thinking that healthcare should be a one glove fits all. What will be the incentive to quit smoking if its paid for anyway?
I don't mean to rant and rob Scott's thread but this VA matter is a forewarning. Yes, its been going on for years...and for years the VA is under the control of beauracrats. That's the darn point.
If WE THE PEOPLE, as a whole, accept (look the other way?) this level of care for our soldiers/veterans, why should they change the process? WE should be stomping our feet, protesting, and DEMANDING change. But WE don't...
Poor quality, non-existent, low level of health care for Veterans is not a new problem, it's been an on going issue, and WE all know this. Yet, where do WE put Veteran care on our list of priorities for a candidate to address and keep a promise?
The fact that we are discussing the future of "our" healthcare is telling IMHO...
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  Semper Fi
Location: North Texas | Anniemae - 2014-05-02 11:16 AM RidenFly - 2014-05-02 8:38 AM Is healthcare, a industry that should be built on compassion, be over seen by Govt. red tape? Do you want a doctor with his hands shackled by "do's and don'ts?" Do you want people that make a flat rate? The great minds of this country will enter the universities NOT looking into medicine because it offers nothing. Instead they will turn to GAMING or something else when we need these brilliant people behind a scapel.
I can't wrap my mind around the thinking that healthcare should be a one glove fits all. What will be the incentive to quit smoking if its paid for anyway?
I don't mean to rant and rob Scott's thread but this VA matter is a forewarning. Yes, its been going on for years...and for years the VA is under the control of beauracrats. That's the darn point.
If WE THE PEOPLE, as a whole, accept (look the other way?) this level of care for our soldiers/veterans, why should they change the process? WE should be stomping our feet, protesting, and DEMANDING change. But WE don't...
Poor quality, non-existent, low level of health care for Veterans is not a new problem, it's been an on going issue, and WE all know this. Yet, where do WE put Veteran care on our list of priorities for a candidate to address and keep a promise?
The fact that we are discussing the future of "our" healthcare is telling IMHO...
What is really sad is that 'It' takes the idea of mistreating Veterans via Sorry Healthcare to cause Americans to wake up and see where Their Own Healtcare is headed. America's Veterans have 'swept under the rug' so to speak dating back to The Civil War! | |
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Semper Fi
Location: North Texas | Hollywood's Fan - 2014-05-02 10:32 AM
foundation horse - 2014-05-03 9:11 AM Hollywood's Fan - 2014-05-02 10:00 AM These people ought to have to be subjected to the same type of care. I cannot imagine treating our veterans this way. They put their lives on the line for our freedoms. But, if an illegal goes to the Emergency room for a hangnail, they are treated pronto, free of charge. How the hell did things get to be so screwed up? Excellent point! An American Vet who has 'paid the price of freedom' receives better health care than an Illegal Immigrant (who has not done anything for America! ) is mooching off the taxpayers.
HF, I fixed it! heheheh
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 Googly Goo
Posts: 7053
| Hollywood's Fan - 2014-05-02 10:00 AM These people ought to have to be subjected to the same type of care. I cannot imagine treating our veterans this way. They put their lives on the line for our freedoms. But, if an illegal goes to the Emergency room for a hangnail, they are treated pronto, free of charge. How the hell did things get to be so screwed up?
The goverment got involved. | |
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 BHW Resident Surgeon
Posts: 25352
Location: Bastrop, Texas | Anniemae - 2014-05-02 11:16 AM RidenFly - 2014-05-02 8:38 AM Is healthcare, a industry that should be built on compassion, be over seen by Govt. red tape? Do you want a doctor with his hands shackled by "do's and don'ts?" Do you want people that make a flat rate? The great minds of this country will enter the universities NOT looking into medicine because it offers nothing. Instead they will turn to GAMING or something else when we need these brilliant people behind a scapel.
I can't wrap my mind around the thinking that healthcare should be a one glove fits all. What will be the incentive to quit smoking if its paid for anyway?
I don't mean to rant and rob Scott's thread but this VA matter is a forewarning. Yes, its been going on for years...and for years the VA is under the control of beauracrats. That's the darn point.
If WE THE PEOPLE, as a whole, accept (look the other way?) this level of care for our soldiers/veterans, why should they change the process? WE should be stomping our feet, protesting, and DEMANDING change. But WE don't...
Poor quality, non-existent, low level of health care for Veterans is not a new problem, it's been an on going issue, and WE all know this. Yet, where do WE put Veteran care on our list of priorities for a candidate to address and keep a promise?
The fact that we are discussing the future of "our" healthcare is telling IMHO...
I agree, hence, this thread. It serves a purpose of getting the word out via the internet. I posted this on my FB page as well. Media outlets need to stay on point when things like this need attention. That's why I applaud CNN and Fox. Nobody can say this is some partisan plot designed to undermine ObamaCare. CNN isn't exactly some right wing think tank. That's what gives this scandal "teeth".
Shoddy healthcare in the VA system is nothing new, as people have been saying. Maybe this story will provide the necessary impetus to really get Congress off their asses and get to work fixing this national disgrace. I did a lot of my training at the VA in Milwaukee....about a third of my year as chief resident. It's a huge VA hospital, and probably one of the better ones, but even back in the 80s, the beaurocracy, senselessness, and red tape was staggering. Just to give you one small example of how they think. If I saw a vet who had a zit that needed removal in the VA clinic, I couldn't just do it right there in the office (I could probably do it right here at home!). I HAD to admit the veteran to the hospital. He HAD to have a panel of tests: CBC, metabolic panel, chest xray, ECG, and urinalysis. That was the minimum. Also, he had to come in the night before. Anesthesia had to see the veteran pre op. Often times they demanded that he have a general anesthetic, even though I wanted to do it under local. Why? Because if he had a general anesthetic he had to stay overnight. The game plan was to spend as much as possible on every possible case, because that's how they came up with their budget requests for the next fiscal year. Back then the motto was "Nothing but the best for our veterans!" It worked. No politician would even dare accuse the VA of wasteful spending. That would be as bad as suggesting our Social Security system needs drastic reforms....ie: political suicide! So, that's how the VA grew to be this bloated, inefficient, inept, incompetent, inconsistent, out-of-control monster that we see today. The only solution our politicians have ever offered to "fix" the VA healthcare system is to simply throw more money at it - no different than any other government program. The obvious solution has been obvious for decades - scrap the system and provide vets with comprehensive health insurance. With ObamaCare, this won't necessarily guarantee a level of care that is any better than the care the vets are receiving at the VA.
In other words, welcome to ObamaCare.....for a sneek preview, take a look at the VA - ones like the Phoenix VA! | |
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BHW Resident Surgeon
Posts: 25352
Location: Bastrop, Texas | This is from Forbes.....just a little math project. The VA, according to THEIR numbers, serves 8 million vets. A few years ago it was quoted as 3.5 million vets, but I suppose they figured out a new way of adding to their "numbers" and softened what constitutes "providing healthcare" to more vets.
The dirty little secret is that most vets selectively use the VA for varying degrees of their healthcare needs, but I bet a minority of them actually totally relies on the VA for all their healthcare needs. Most go there for routine things, meds, checkups, etc.... Anything out of the ordinary and I bet they run for the door and look to places like the Mayo Clinic, etc...
Even if you accept their numbers at face value, if you extrapolate these numbers to include all US citizens, the number is truly staggering....all for crappy care.
“Health care costs are eating the Defense Department alive,” said former Defense Secretary Robert Gates in 2011. Military spending consumes over half of all federal discretionary spending: $712 billion out of $1,277 billion in 2011 discretionary outlays. Defense analyst Todd Harrison calculates that military health spending is about 9.5 percent of the base defense budget: $52.5 billion out of the $559 billion that the Defense Department requested for fiscal year 2012. On top of that, the Department of Veterans Affairs, which has a separate budget, seeks to spend $51 billion of its $132 billion 2012 budget request on health care. | |
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BHW Resident Surgeon
Posts: 25352
Location: Bastrop, Texas | I think I'll bump this up. Wouldn't want any progressive BBs to miss out on the opportunity to read and comment. | |
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Sock Snob
Posts: 3021
| I think the congress ought to privatitise the va system, and or bid out to insurance companies. my father in law used themva for his advantage hemwould go enough to,get his meds and simple test. Also had a regular doc if he reallly neede anything. I think that how a lot of,people use the va. That is what i would do. But this is what a single payer government system woukd work like.
Edited by daisycake123 2014-05-02 9:03 PM
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BHW Resident Surgeon
Posts: 25352
Location: Bastrop, Texas | I agree....just give them insurance. | |
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 Veteran
Posts: 246
Location: OK | Absolutely shameful! But I can't say that I'm a bit surprised. The government will ruin most things they get their hands on. And yes, I do believe that our healthcare system is headed the same direction unfortunately. I found a very interesting article and in some ways, I think it makes a lot of sense--the ONLY way we are going to stop this train wreck is for physicians to act out and act up. It makes the case for U.S. physicians going on strike until something changes!
http://news.yahoo.com/why-doctors-strike-094500281--politics.html;_... | |
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 Veteran
Posts: 292
Location: Northeast Nebraska | http://washingtonexaminer.com/health-emergency-on-eve-of-obamacare-...
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2418250/NHS-death-rate-worst-West-Patients-50-likely-die-neglect-US-says-study.html
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/9644287/NHS-millions-for-controversial-care-pathway.html | |
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| Just think about this:
over the next 20-25 years, there will be 125-150 million people leaving the work force with baby boomers retiring/dieing. The generation coming up to fill that gap equals only 50 million. Since the government has spent Medicare/SSI moneys to cover other current expenses, the money for those payments going forward will come from current taxation. At the lower number of workers to tax, the tax will either have to increase dramatically or the benefits will have to be cut dramatically.
Do you see a conflict of interest with the government looking ahead to no funds for these future payments and taking over our health care decisions? | |
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 Money Eating Baggage Owner
Posts: 9586
Location: Phoenix | HotbearLVR - 2014-05-02 7:52 AM ~BINGO~ - 2014-05-02 9:46 AM Yep. Currently ashamed of living in AZ. It's got nothing to do with AZ, Bingo. This is government healthcare in action. For years now I have been saying if you want to get an idea of what healthcare will be like once ObamaCare has taken hold, then look no further than the VA. That article makes me want to vomit. Thank God it wasn't ONLY a Fox News story. CNN has been doing a good job exposing this scandal as well. How can these people live with themselves???
My mom was predicting this years ago when my dad was diagnosed with testicular cancer. She warned me of the long lines and that's how it would be once Obamatard got his gig rolling. Thank goodness he was able to see a doctor within 1 day and is free and clear of cancer now. | |
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