av8torntn
Well-Known Member
Possibly, but doubtful, you will explain how a new peer out reach program that would have been established in two years would have "saved" 22 people that died today even though that program already exists.
Congress Again Buys Abrams Tanks the Army Doesn't Want
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Possibly, but doubtful, you will explain how a new peer out reach program that would have been established in two years would have "saved" 22 people that died today even though that program already exists.
av8torntn
Well-Known Member
I'm no fan of what the Senators that supported this wanted to do. They simply think that throwing a little money at the VA to duplicate ineffective programs will take care of a problem and satisfy our nations commitment to our veterans. It is nothing more than a way for them to wash their hands of a commitment our nation made. If anyone were serious about helping those veterans that need health care they would eliminate the VA and provide system for actual health care. The VA is little more than a jobs program and is typical of inefficiencies normally found in government.
av8torntn
Well-Known Member
Actually the entire bill is ridiculous. The VA needs another website? Do you know how many they have now? How many places on the current VA websites are the addresses of VA clinics listed and what evidence do you have that would suggest listing it on some new website would prevent 22 suicides a day? We need a new program to council separating veterans against suicide? Do you even know how many times you go through suicide prevention talks before you separate now? If you do why would one more prevent 22 suicides a day? If it would why do you support limiting this program to only three years? What evidence do you have to support this? We need another substance abuse prevention program at the VA? How many do they have now and why would this new one prevent 22 suicides a day and what evidence do you have to support that? We need another survey for VA patients to fill out? Do you know how many I've had to fill out this year? What evidence do you have that would suggest me getting another survey would prevent 22 suicides a day? Who is the third party that you want to hire to evaluate the VA suicide prevention programs? If they have the answer why didn't they write this bill? Since each VA center has a community outreach team how will funding a second outreach team per center prevent 22 suicides a day given the first team is idle more than it is active? What evidence do you have to support this?
av8torntn
Well-Known Member
Has there ever been a head of a government agency that opposed the expansion of his agency? If so it has to be rare.
Sportello
Well-Known Member
You're right, screw 'em. We don't need to do anything for the Veterans, why bother?
Well, it's unlikely that the VA will be eliminated any time soon. We have to work with what we are stuck with.
I agree with you in spirit about the inefficiencies in bloated government endeavors but I'm not aware of another alternative in the pipeline and time is of the essence with this issue.
Agreed. Unfortunately there is no alternative that I'm aware of.
I like this idea.
Although that is probably just another big bloated government machine crammed full of inefficiencies and fraud.
It has its issues, but Medicare does get consistently high ratings from its enrollees.
Medicare Works: Public Program Continues to Outperform Private Insurance in Ensuring Access to Care and Providing Financial Protection
And it would take how many years to find someone to craft the bill which will become a law?
In the meantime we have to work with the current structure to find some way to improve support to these vulnerable veterans. We owe it to them.
And I still find the big pharma connection disturbing.
I'm certainly not arguing with you about that, the "enroll them in medicare" solution is probably just pie in the sky anyway regardless of whether it's a good idea or not. The VA is what we got.
Unfortunately good ideas like this don't have much of a chance to make it through the machine. That's why we are where we are.
av8torntn
Well-Known Member
av8torntn
Well-Known Member
It took two weeks from the time the current VA wait time scandal broke for me to receive the new card in the mail allowing me to seek medical treatment at private facilities. So I'm guessing two to three weeks is what it would take to get real medical help to our veterans.
av8torntn
Well-Known Member
That's because the VA is a jobs program and a way for politicians to claim that they are helping veterans. You don't believe me walk through a VA facility and count the number of patient exam rooms that have been converted to offices.
av8torntn
Well-Known Member
One of the problems is the large groups can get funding from the VA to help patients navigate the VA. These organizations are invested in the VA becoming larger. I can't remember the name but there was a group in your state that started suggesting serious changes to the VA system and immediately some of the larger groups started to lobby congress to cut their funding.
