Isn't this what we are doing? www.va.gov/HEALTH/ states the following: "The Veterans Health Administration is America's largest integrated health care system with over 1,700 sites of care, serving 8.76 million Veterans each year." This health care system is funded by our federal tax dollars and services almost 9 million Americans annually. Obamacare also will be largely funded by federal tax dollars (or federal borrowing), and it will service around 300 million Americans if the Democrats get their way. It is different of course, because Obamacare isn't a health care provider, but is an insurance provider in essence. I still think that you should take a look at how well the VA system works though. When the MessAPolitico tries to run anything, there is a much higher than normal propensity for failure.
I don't know about you, but I can call my doctor's office early in the morning and get an appointment to see a doctor the same day. In an emergency, I can go to the emergency room at any of our local hospitals and get care in a reasonable amount of time. If there is an ambulance involved, I will begin receiving care before I even get to the hospital. For less pressing ailments or injuries, I can get into the emergency room within a couple of hours even on a very busy day. It seems that some VA patients are dying while waiting for the care they've been promised. The VA service goals are for patients to be able to schedule a doctor visit within 14 days. Yes, that's two weeks! In a number of cases, they have NOT been able to fulfill this expectation! Patients have actually died of cancer because they were unable to see a VA doctor for months while the cancer spread. If my doctor couldn't get me in to check out my symptoms that could be cancer today or tomorrow, I'm going to a different doctor. Of course, these government health care programs don't give you the flexibility to pick your doctor.
This VA health system scandal plays right into the hands of the Republicans with Congressional elections coming up this fall. Why not run on saving the folks that aren't receiving health care from the VA from a similar experience? Why not run on privatizing the VA? I wonder what would happen if a private company took over management of the worst VA facilities for responsiveness? Get the MessAPolitico as far from the VA health care system as possible if you want to fix the problems. And keep them as far from my health care as possible.
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