[theoddz]

You know, I don't see why we can't pattern a national health care system after the VA. I'm going to toot my employer's and my health care provider of choice here and say (again, because I've posted in these threads repeatedly about this)...that the VA has consistently, CONSISTENTLY ranked #1 NATIONWIDE, in patient satisfaction.

Now, that said, what I'm about to say is only my take, my opinion, from my own experiences with VA, both as a Disabled Veteran and a VA employee of nearly 15 years. I have worked in 2 VA health care systems (VA Northern California HCS at Sacramento, CA, VISN 21, and currently in the VA Southern Nevada Health Care system here at Las Vegas, NV, VISN 22) in my career. I also worked (as a civilian) in the DoD system for the US Navy at the Naval Medical Center in San Diego, CA. Most VA medical centers are located in large urban areas and are associated with the big state medical schools. Because of this, Veterans are given access to top of the line, cutting edge treatment. Many of the treatments and medications used to treat serious injury and disease were developed with the partnership that exists between these big educational/research institutions and the VA. On the whole, I have always gotten top notch care. The only reason I'm a little skiddish about having a surgical procedure performed where I work now is because the VA here in Las Vegas has no proximity to a state medical school. The University of Nevada School of Medicine is actually located in Reno, which is quite a ways from here, in northern Nevada. That being as such, VA has to farm many of its patients requiring specialty care to the private sector. For that reason, and that reason alone, I keep my employer based insurance through the FEHB (Federal Employees Health Benefit) plan. I would only use my health insurance plan in a situation where I needed a complex surgery or procedure.

It makes perfect sense to maybe either expand VA to cover every American and perhaps evolve it into a "Federal Health Care System". VA has repeatedly been held up and touted as an example of cost effectiveness successfully blended with cutting edge technology and top notch patient care. Our CPRS (Computerized Patient Records System) links each VA facility with another and enables us to pull up any Veteran's VA medical records from anywhere in this country. That alone saves us a lot of money. VA's buying power consistently drums down drug costs just by sheer volume. Unless a Vet holds a high disability rating (over 50%), is not being treated specifically for a service related injury or illness, or his/her income falls beneath what is called a "means threshold" (in which case, that Veteran is exempt from ALL copays), he/she pays a copayment of $8 for a 30 day supply of medication.

If we expanded the VA into a federal health care system, and covered every American under a similarly funded system, think of the costs that could be saved!! Think of the access there would be for everyone!!! We could drive costs down even further with the additional number of patients served. In such a system, we could even keep the private insurance system, employing it to cover nominal copays for services, treatments and medications. The big insurers wouldn't be making humongous profits, but providing decent care for a reasonable cost would require putting a certain amount of money back into the system. The VA does this by the employment of 3rd party billing. Those Veterans (even those like me, who are exempt from copays because of high disability ratings, yet who have private insurance through employers, etc.) are billed for services/treatment for conditions not related to our service connected disabilities. So, yes, money is put back into the system to help to pay for the treatment of other Veterans who fall beneath the "means threshold" and cannot afford to pay anything. It's all for the common good, really. I don't mind that they bill my insurance company for this. It helps other Vets and that's a good thing.

I still maintain that TRUE reform in health care cannot and will not be achieved unless you take the profit incentive out of the equation. Therein lies the problem. When it comes to money and prying it out of cold, dead, greedy hands, you're almost trying to achieve the impossible. I truly believe that it is do-able.

Respectfully,
~Theo~