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A simple proposition to give veterans the health care they deserve

Two sets of facts have converged to create a remarkable opportunity to improve the economics and quality of healthcare in the United States. Fact 1: The Veterans Administration (VA) System has failed to meet the promise made to our veterans in need of healthcare services.

    by Howard J. Peterson, MHA
    Published 

Two sets of facts have converged to create a remarkable opportunity to improve the economics and quality of healthcare in the United States.

Fact 1: The Veterans Administration (VA) System has failed to meet the promise made to our veterans in need of healthcare services.  This problem is not new:

  1. In 1974 veterans staged a 17 day hunger strike to protest poor treatment in VA hospitals.

  1. In 1986 the Inspector General found that 93 VA physicians had sanctions against their medical licenses.

  1. In 1993 a Blue Ribbon panel reported "unacceptable delays" within the VA System.

  1. In 2007 the Washington Post cites cases of neglect at Walter Reed Medical Center.

  1. In 2014 tens of thousands of vets are left waiting months for medical care and an estimated 40 die as VA administrators report phony data to cover up delays.

VA leadership is once again being replaced and the new VA Secretary, Robert McDonald, announced the biggest reorganization in the VA's history.  More federal money has been budgeted to provide VA services.  The VA budget now exceeds $160 billion per year.

However, the VA won't change.  Centralized planning by the federal government and management by unaccountable federal employees makes it virtually certain the future performance will be as bad as the past.

Fact 2: At the same time that the VA continues to fail, U.S. community hospitals, both non-profit and for-profit, provide generally exemplary care, access and quality.  The use rates for inpatient beds in the hospitals have substantially declined.  The most recent comprehensive data is from 2013.  Of the 915,000 inpatient beds available in these hospitals, 592,000 were occupied on average, leaving nearly 325,000 beds unused on any given day.

The proposition: A substantial portion of routine care for veterans can and should be provided in the private sector.  At the same time, truly unique programs and facilities for veterans recovering from profound wounds in battle or those with post-traumatic stress disorder should be maintained within the VA.  Veterans should be given a priority status for access to all services in private sector hospitals.  A significant portion of the budgetary dollars currently dedicated to the VA should be reassigned as a revenue stream to private hospitals.

This action will accomplish three things: It will provide access to the best care in the U.S. to those most deserving, our veterans; it will improve the long-term financial conditions of the facilities in the private sector; and it will help rid us of the chronic problem of a bureaucracy unaccountable for its mission.

And our entire health care system would benefit, as a result.

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