Problems With VA Medical Care

[guido911]

What is happening in the VA health care system is very disturbing. Phony wait lists, etc. Here is one such story:

http://abcnews.go.com/WN/delays-care-threaten-health-safety-veterans-va-whistleblower/story?id=23663739&affil=abc


Here's some background from a few days ago:

Outrage has been building since claims emerged last week that at least 40 veterans died while waiting for treatment from a Phoenix VA hospital. A whistleblower who had worked at the Phoenix VA alleged that the facility placed veterans on a secret waiting list to hide the fact that they had even sought care. But in the furor over the latest revelations, an even larger and more serious problem may be getting lost. It's likely that there are more secret wait lists concealing patient delays throughout the VA medical system, putting untold numbers of veterans in jeopardy.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/05/08/the-secret-waitlist-that-s-killing-vets.html

I meet several vets a month that have issues with the VA. There are some lawyers out there that focus in this area.

[heironymouspasparagus]

This has been the status quo for at least 50 years - probably longer, but past my direct memory and experience - through Republicontin and Dummycrat administrations!  Nothing has improved - only continued to limp along with the occasional indignant uproar about how badly we treat our vets.  Then, some obligatory wringing of hands.  Add lots of pompous pronouncements invariably ending with the phrase "never let something like this happen again!".  And then subsidence back into the morass of inadequate funding, resources, and personnel.  It's the "American Way"!!

"Outrage has been building...."  - once again!  Ooohhh....it just sends patriotic chills up and down my spine and a sparkle in my eyes to hear those magnificent words!!





I know inflection with text is difficult text at times - did my sarcasm and disdain for the despical treatment of our past warriors come through correctly??

[AquaMan]

I don't want to start another flame fest, but it seems like the congressmen at both the state and federal level are too busy fighting each other and representing every constituent with a fat wallet to spend any time cleaning up the messes they have made.

Can you imagine if every candidate for state and federal office had to have served time in the military or social services as a requirement for candidacy?

[heironymouspasparagus]

I don't want to start another flame fest, but it seems like the congressmen at both the state and federal level are too busy fighting each other and representing every constituent with a fat wallet to spend any time cleaning up the messes they have made.

Can you imagine if every candidate for state and federal office had to have served time in the military or social services as a requirement for candidacy?

A lot of them have in the past....

John McCain - who was pushed aside by Mitt...     (Wasn't he a draft dodger like Rush Limbaugh?)

Max Cleland - a real, live, honest-to-God war hero!  Victim of Karl Rove/Saxby Chambliss - both well documented draft dodgers - lies and RWRE garbage (they did a "Jim Inhofe" on Max)!

[guido911]

A lot of them have in the past....

John McCain - who was pushed aside by Mitt...     (Wasn't he a draft dodger like Rush Limbaugh?)

Max Cleland - a real, live, honest-to-God war hero!  Victim of Karl Rove/Saxby Chambliss - both well documented draft dodgers - lies and RWRE garbage (they did a "Jim Inhofe" on Max)!

Another story coming out of North Carolina.

http://www.wncn.com/story/25498455/2-durham-va-employees-on-leave-over-inappropriate-scheduling

[guido911]

A lot of them have in the past....

John McCain - who was pushed aside by Mitt...     (Wasn't he a draft dodger like Rush Limbaugh?)

Max Cleland - a real, live, honest-to-God war hero!  Victim of Karl Rove/Saxby Chambliss - both well documented draft dodgers - lies and RWRE garbage (they did a "Jim Inhofe" on Max)!

Yeah. Mitt Romney was a draft dodger like Rush Limbaugh, and Bill Clinton, Dick Cheney, Joe Biden--etc. Not sure what affect these people had on the current state of the VA.

[Townsend]

Another story coming out of North Carolina.

Aren't the congressional candidates having each other killed in North Carolina?

[Hoss]

Aren't the congressional candidates having each other killed in North Carolina?

That damned American Idol contestant!

[heironymouspasparagus]

Yeah. Mitt Romney was a draft dodger like Rush Limbaugh, and Bill Clinton, Dick Cheney, Joe Biden--etc. Nor sure what affect these people had on the current state of the VA.

All except Limbaugh HAVE been part of the problem with the VA over the years in that they have ALL been in positions of power to affect the operation of VA at some level - and NONE has really even made an effort (other than lip service) to achieve needed reform.  Particularly distressing is John McCain, of whom I would expected at least some moderate "foaming-at-the-mouth" jumping up and down yelling and screaming about this over an extended period of time!  Like his entire tenure in the Senate!

This didn't just get this way in the last few months or even years.  It has been ongoing for decades!


And Limbaugh could have been using his position to advance a true noble cause at least a little bit, instead of exclusively pushing his Right Wing lies, deception, and dissemination....RWRE Crack.

[Conan71]

All except Limbaugh HAVE been part of the problem with the VA over the years in that they have ALL been in positions of power to affect the operation of VA at some level - and NONE has really even made an effort (other than lip service) to achieve needed reform.  Particularly distressing is John McCain, of whom I would expected at least some moderate "foaming-at-the-mouth" jumping up and down yelling and screaming about this over an extended period of time!  Like his entire tenure in the Senate!

This didn't just get this way in the last few months or even years.  It has been ongoing for decades!


And Limbaugh could have been using his position to advance a true noble cause at least a little bit, instead of exclusively pushing his Right Wing lies, deception, and dissemination....RWRE Crack.

Here's the legislative problem with VA appropriations:  Due to the sausage-making nature of bills in the US HOR and Senate, there frequently are extra ticks and fleas attached to Vet appropriation bills that are unpalatable to GOP members.  Like adding abortion funding or some other pet liberal project so that when election season comes around people like you can claim the RWRE ate their brains and made them hate Vets.  It's simply not reality when you can't have single issues on straight up and down votes in DC anymore.  

Change the system to make every bill stand on it's own, and I guarantee we'd see a bigger turn over in Congress and on a regular basis.  No more hiding behind 2000 page bills that should take no more than 6-10 pages for it's primary goal.

[Hoss]

Here's the legislative problem with VA appropriations:  Due to the sausage-making nature of bills in the US HOR and Senate, there frequently are extra ticks and fleas attached to Vet appropriation bills that are unpalatable to GOP members.  Like adding abortion funding or some other pet liberal project so that when election season comes around people like you can claim the RWRE ate their brains and made them hate Vets.  It's simply not reality when you can't have single issues on straight up and down votes in DC anymore.  

Change the system to make every bill stand on it's own, and I guarantee we'd see a bigger turn over in Congress and on a regular basis.  No more hiding behind 2000 page bills that should take no more than 6-10 pages for it's primary goal.

Let's not forget however, that the so-called 'tax and spend' liberals are not the only purveyors of pork.  Many Republicans (MANY) do this as well.

[Conan71]

Let's not forget however, that the so-called 'tax and spend' liberals are not the only purveyors of pork.  Many Republicans (MANY) do this as well.

Every member of Congress seeks pork for their own district, that's no secret.

But when it comes to bills that affect military veterans, it's not Rethugs inserting items into those bills to make other Rethugs vote against it.  That was the point of my original spittle-inflected rant. 

[heironymouspasparagus]

Here's the legislative problem with VA appropriations:  Due to the sausage-making nature of bills in the US HOR and Senate, there frequently are extra ticks and fleas attached to Vet appropriation bills that are unpalatable to GOP members.  Like adding abortion funding or some other pet liberal project so that when election season comes around people like you can claim the RWRE ate their brains and made them hate Vets.  It's simply not reality when you can't have single issues on straight up and down votes in DC anymore.  

Change the system to make every bill stand on it's own, and I guarantee we'd see a bigger turn over in Congress and on a regular basis.  No more hiding behind 2000 page bills that should take no more than 6-10 pages for it's primary goal.

It isn't one or the other - it is both!  And has been since I first became "politically aware" back in the 60's.  And heard stories from friends/relatives about the issue back to WWII.  Before that, if Veteran's had a gripe and said or did anything about it, the gub-mint would just send General McArthur after them with machine guns and tanks to mow them down....on reflection, I guess maybe they haven't had it so bad since WWII....??

[heironymouspasparagus]

That was the point of my original spittle-inflected rant. 

Shouldn't that be "spittle-flecked" rant??

[guido911]

It isn't one or the other - it is both!  And has been since I first became "politically aware" back in the 60's. 

It is all coming into focus now. 

"Peace Love Dope!"