Fucked how? Wait times? Schedules? Coverages? Are Vets not able to go outside the provided coverage(s)/networks? Not able to get Medicaid?
VA budget is $200 billion. I think that's more than any one service's budget. It's a bloated pig determined to wallow in its own shit.
Or, they could straighten their shit out and be the model for how all healthcare in the country should work instead of feeding the insurance/pharma/healthcare money pig.
The best thing the government could do regarding healthcare is to completely and fully get out of it. No mandates, no forced coverages, nothing. All between you and your doctor or insurance company.
I know, but it doesn’t have to be that way. They could have complete control over the entire process and really do some good, but they just fuck it up by being typical lazy government employees.
Yes, it does have to be that way, it's a government bureaucracy. They don't exist to do things efficiently.
I’m aware of the conundrum of being a government employee. Basically, if you do a good job, you’re essentially working yourself out of a job. So they’re incentivized to do a bad job.
Don't forget the lawyers. Lotsa lawyers putting their mistress' bastards through college relying on that source of billable hours.
The only time I used the VA was for disability injuries sustained during service. Everything else I use private insurance through work. I don’t have the injuries some of these vets have, and I refuse to occupy a doctors time when it could be better served helping others. It’s painful to go to a VA hospital. Not because of the staff, or the wait, or any administrative bullshit, but because of the “customers”. It’s a painful reminder of war, and the aftermath it leaves. It’s heartbreaking. The staff thanks us for our service, but I am thankful to them for taking care of our soldiers after the fact.
My brother and dad are the same. Quite a few folks Ive met over the years reflect similar views. If there is 1 thing the VA should be experts at is the physical injuries. The psychological trauma aspect they are clearly out of their depths.
They're not the only ones. Mental health is and probably always will be a lot more like voodoo than medicine.