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VA/military medicine

Posted By: steross
Date: 21 Dec 01, 5:49 pm

In Response To: In my surgery I was a subject... (Igor)

I do feel for you and your situation but I have a different take on the subject of VA medicine. I firmly believe that VA/military medicine should go away except for keeping a small contingent of military medical people for war time or overseas situations. It is a failed, bloated bureaucracy. Military members, dependents, and veterans should get low cost insurance through the gov. like civil servants get. The problem is whenever any such cutback is initiated the veterans groups lobby and pull at the patriotic heartstrings of congress. As much as they complain about the care, they definitely don't want it to go away. Here is the big reason why this occurs:
It is free! Totally free. I see people come in to military/VA emergency rooms to get Tylenol (then complain about the three hour wait!) I've seem them in the ER for pimples, to get chap stick prescribed etc. I've seen veterans claim to be suicidal to get admitted for a few meals and a warm bed. Please let me know if anyone else's insurance or HMO would allow such abuse. Every time some of them get a cold, they are seeking medical care, there is no disincentive. This overloads the system, creating the frustration that leads to the attitude of Igor's nurses, and possibly even the potentially poor care he described. (I'm not condoning the attitude, just explaining it.) The masses scamming for cheap but unnecessary care dilutes the care of those truly in need.

Unless they start a co-pay, deductible, or some other form of payment, I just see more of the same continuing. In the capitalism of the U.S., cost gives value and until the veterans value the system enough to give a token amount of money to it, it will remain worthless. Even $3-5 a visit would end much of the silliness.
I think that is enough off topic posting, I just wanted to present a different side of this situation as, like card counting, VA/military medicine is something very easy to villianize by those with little understanding of it.

Messages In This Thread

• BJ FOR A LIVING -- WILBUR -- 20 Dec 01, 11:21 am
  • BJ FOR a LIVING -- Cubanpete -- 20 Dec 01, 11:50 am
    • Do you work -- El Burro -- 20 Dec 01, 12:21 pm
      • bj -- Cubanpete -- 20 Dec 01, 12:42 pm
        • do you work at bellatlantic ? (nt) -- El Burro -- 20 Dec 01, 2:36 pm
        • Betting Stragety -- Mack Gilley -- 21 Dec 01, 12:47 pm
          • bet big so you can get on with life -- DD' -- 21 Dec 01, 1:17 pm
            • Do your GC friends understand this? -- TG -- 21 Dec 01, 2:06 pm
              • I was not being entirely serious and scientific here -- DD' -- 21 Dec 01, 2:35 pm
                • Solid advice DD (nt) -- Bang-Bang -- 21 Dec 01, 5:57 pm
                • Explanation Please DD -- Double21 -- 21 Dec 01, 6:00 pm
                  • you are not misreading me -- DD' -- 21 Dec 01, 6:54 pm
                    • Everybody in this part of the thread ignores couponomy it seems (nt) -- Clarke Cant -- 22 Dec 01, 2:29 pm
                      • I don't -- DD' -- 22 Dec 01, 8:56 pm
                        • DAMN Straight. (nt) -- Frank Stanton -- 22 Dec 01, 9:20 pm
                • Real-World Businesses -- MathProf -- 22 Dec 01, 4:26 pm
                  • Easy there Math Prof -- Frank Stanton -- 22 Dec 01, 4:55 pm
                    • Is it by any chance possible -- Cyrus -- 22 Dec 01, 5:29 pm
                  • Incomplete or inaccurate analysis -- NA -- 22 Dec 01, 5:36 pm
                  • that was hardly an IBM or GM -- DD' -- 22 Dec 01, 9:00 pm
  • advisable only for those with few good alternatives -- DD' -- 20 Dec 01, 12:23 pm
    • DD' please !! -- El Burro -- 20 Dec 01, 12:46 pm
      • Reason For asking -- WILBUR -- 20 Dec 01, 1:43 pm
        • here is the danger -- DD' -- 20 Dec 01, 5:44 pm
          • Car/Bankroll excelant "rule of thumb" good post! (nt) -- Clarke Cant -- 21 Dec 01, 9:27 am
      • Best answer I've seen yet -- Parker -- 20 Dec 01, 7:01 pm
        • Right book, wrong author! :-) -- Don Schlesinger -- 20 Dec 01, 7:42 pm
          • Right author, wrong book! :-) -- Parker -- 20 Dec 01, 8:55 pm
        • My car cost me $2K ('93 Geo Metro, used). My BR: $2K. Wahooo!!!! (nt) -- Thom Sawyer! -- 21 Dec 01, 2:46 pm
    • Why so pessimistic -- Francis Salmon -- 20 Dec 01, 3:51 pm
      • you may have been ready -- DD' -- 20 Dec 01, 5:08 pm
        • Sometimes the decision can be thrust upon you. -- Igor -- 21 Dec 01, 1:04 am
          • How about solving the sight problem? -- Ferdinand -- 21 Dec 01, 5:10 am
            • Eyeglasses? Laser surgery? -- Igor -- 21 Dec 01, 8:33 am
              • VA=world's original abusive HMO...perhaps... -- Clarke Cant -- 21 Dec 01, 9:30 am
                • Thanks, but my problems are retinal, not refractive. -- Igor -- 21 Dec 01, 9:46 am
                  • New procedures handle that... -- Clarke Cant -- 21 Dec 01, 9:53 am
                    • I am indebted to you. Thanks. (nt) -- Igor -- 21 Dec 01, 10:23 am
                      • Floaters.... -- Clarke Cant -- 21 Dec 01, 10:34 am
                        • CC, is there ANYTHING you don't know? :-) (nt) -- Neko -- 21 Dec 01, 11:06 am
                          • Well at least I know what I don't know.... -- Clarke Cant -- 21 Dec 01, 2:06 pm
                            • I Think You Toy With Us Earthlings (n/t) (nt) -- human -- 21 Dec 01, 11:58 pm
                      • Some advice.... -- Clarke Cant -- 21 Dec 01, 2:42 pm
                        • Gracias para todo, and please use my email address for blackjack issues. (nt) -- Igor -- 21 Dec 01, 4:20 pm
              • Sorry to hear -- Ferdinand -- 21 Dec 01, 10:26 am
                • Cannot sue VA -- Clarke Cant -- 21 Dec 01, 2:50 pm
                  • In my surgery I was a subject... -- Igor -- 21 Dec 01, 4:30 pm
                    • VA/military medicine -- steross -- 21 Dec 01, 5:49 pm
                      • Say what??? -- Railbird -- 21 Dec 01, 9:36 pm
                      • IGOR-you are WRONG -- Frank Stanton -- 21 Dec 01, 9:56 pm
                        • Wrong about what? -- Igor -- 22 Dec 01, 12:20 am
                          • correct Igor should have been Steross -- Frank Stanton -- 22 Dec 01, 2:17 am
                          • VA -- Railbird -- 22 Dec 01, 8:25 am
                            • Good advice. Thanks. -- Igor -- 22 Dec 01, 11:13 am
              • What a horror story! -- Neko -- 21 Dec 01, 11:04 am
                • If Clinton had gotten his way -- CO Red -- 23 Dec 01, 11:35 am
                  • Maybe, then, maybe not. -- Igor -- 23 Dec 01, 1:22 pm
                    • Exactly right -- Maverick -- 23 Dec 01, 4:35 pm
          • depends -- DD' -- 21 Dec 01, 12:58 pm
            • ...not where you want to be... -- Igor -- 21 Dec 01, 1:43 pm
              • exaclty, agreeing and LOL (nt) -- Clarke Cant -- 21 Dec 01, 3:05 pm
    • The voice of reason -- rwp -- 20 Dec 01, 4:48 pm
      • yes, thank God. And not a moment too soon. (nt) -- DD' -- 20 Dec 01, 5:10 pm
        • Are you responding to rwp's post or subject? :-) (nt) -- Contrail -- 20 Dec 01, 5:51 pm
          • I answered his question (nt) -- DD' -- 20 Dec 01, 8:48 pm
  • Things to consider -- Bootlegger -- 20 Dec 01, 1:17 pm
    • Yet another thing to consider -- Parker -- 20 Dec 01, 7:10 pm
    • Something else even more important -- Scarce -- 20 Dec 01, 7:30 pm
    • yes, it can be done -- bigplayer -- 20 Dec 01, 11:29 pm
  • My Two Cents -- Golf Cart -- 20 Dec 01, 2:05 pm
  • BJ for a living -- T.C.T. -- 20 Dec 01, 8:08 pm
  • BJ: the dead-end bj profession -- Commonsense -- 20 Dec 01, 10:06 pm
  • BOTTOM LINE -- pat -- 21 Dec 01, 12:24 am
    • re: Barring -- T.C.T. -- 21 Dec 01, 4:25 am
      • the problem with -- pat -- 21 Dec 01, 4:35 am
      • Opportunity is where you find it. -- Igor -- 21 Dec 01, 8:54 am
      • not really a conflict -- DD' -- 21 Dec 01, 7:07 pm

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