New health care bill for veterans-YAY, A NEW LAW! It's all fixed now.

A New Health Care Bill for Veterans Signed Into Law

Here's the funniest or saddest thing, depending on how you look at it:

Before posting this, I did a search here on ATS for "veterans healthcare bill law" and I came up with this result, a thread on ATS:

Obama Signs VA Healthcare Reform Law

... from 2009.

Excuse me while I go hide in a closet and let my head explode. That'll at least contain the mess so my wife won't have to clean up too big an area.

Ludicrous is too kind a word.

I don't need to preach to the choir. I don't need to sound off about how more laws will NOT fix this broken system. I don't need to fuss about how stupid our government is, and how inept our leaders are. Don't need to while about how nothing will be done.

Please, please ATS mods, set us up a form called BAT#$%^ CRAZY.

Wait, maybe that's not such a good idea. about 98% of what happens in the the US political system would have to go there, leaving all of the other forums emptied.

Never mind.

The story says over 16 billion will now go to open 1,000 new hospitals. That sounds like an outstanding infrastructure bill, not a V.A. reform bill.

Were the buildings the problem? Are there not enough physical buildings in the Governments collection to meet the needs now? Were veterans dying on waiting lists because an additional building wasn't there?

I thought the problems were about management, mismanagement and paying enormous bonuses to the mismanagers who made it all happen?

How does 16 billion tax dollars fix corruption?

You got it all wrong, McCynic.

You see, fixing problems of mismanagement and over-payment to incompetent leadership is not a viable political solution.

1. First, you'd really piss off your supporters - all those incompetent mismanagers of whom you so glibly speak.
   
2. Second, you don't give gov't contractors (in whose pockets your hands are deeply sunk) the opportunity to make money off of the deal.
   
3. Third, it just makes sense, and we can't have any of that kind of foolishness around here.
   

Get with the program McCynic! Sheesh.

a reply to: MrCynic

Yes.
The hospitals they have now have crap for a performance record so lets have even more of the same.
I didn't read the bill.... does it provide for even more bureaucrats to sweep their inefficiencies under the rugs?

originally posted by: butcherguy
I didn't read the bill.... does it provide for even more bureaucrats to sweep their inefficiencies under the rugs?

Duh! It's a bill for politicians and federal employees written by politicians and federal employees.

Would you expect anything less?

a reply to: MrCynic

Brace yourself... this is going to done with money borrowed from the Fed (in our name of course) and given to private contracted "expert" firms who will middle-man the entire operation... it will likely leas to yet another politically appointed czar-type who will ensure that profit opportunities are both protected and exploited.

BTW, Most every single doctor you see at the VA isn't and actual employee of the institution... they are 'consulting' physician's almost certainly part of an LLC that provides the VA center with doctors... it's a "business" strategy that has diminished nearly every industry in which it is used...

I would love to see it otherwise... but this is the USA and citizens are valued as consumers... and not much more than that.

I have zero faith this will do anything to help those in need now... this should have been done 10+ years ago but both parties went *sniff* its not a problem now so no worries, this will take years before the hospitals are completed and probably years more to get them fully staffed.

Now thousands of my brothers and sisters are dead due to negligence when they came home for treatment and nobody will be punished for this, this Administration and the last are responsible for this and yet people will still line up to say my side is better than yours.

When we should all as Americans be pissed that it came to this and demand that heads roll, but I have no faith in this ADD nation to hold fast to what's right and push forward for the justice that should be delivered.

a reply to: Maxmars

I went this week to a VA appointment to set up my Primary Care Provider (PCP). Yep, she is a contractor and if I want to see her for whatever problem, I have to wait until it fits her schedule, not mine.

She is knowledgeable and actually listens to the patient though. She took copious amounts of notes I noticed. (Now let's see if some other contractor actually inputs those notes into my medical records)

What irritated me was that I already had a PCP assigned but they had no record of that, even though I had hard copies of everything. (ALWAYS GET A COPY!)

Long story short, I have to start all over. Grrrrr...

a reply to: TDawgRex
My nephew is an Army vet. He went to the local VA hospital for treatment. Two years later, they sent him a letter telling him when his appointment was.
True story.
Sad, but true.

a reply to: butcherguy

Six weeks ago I went to the VA emergency room with a very strong pain in my foot that pretty much came out of nowhere, I thought I might have a clot. 13 hours later, I left with three X-Rays, a weeks supply of Napricin and told to go to the prosthetic dept for a ace wrap. I went to the dept. and was told they don't carry that item. Luckily, two days on crutches (which were mine from a previous injury) and no weight bearing and everything was OK again.

This past Monday, I get a call saying my ankle brace is ready for pick-up (one of those OTC types). I didn't know whether to laugh or blow my top.

We need to follow the money on this just like any other Gov deal. Someone is about to get a huge contract for this project and im sure they are related in some way to an elected official. a reply to: Maxmars

I still believe Ron Paul had the best idea. Close every V.A. hospital. Take your vet ID to any hospital or Dr. they bill the V.A. It would save tons of money and they have a vested interest in you returning hence one would be treated in an expedient EFFICIENT manner. The V.A. could care less. Contrary to popular belief V.A. hospitals are not FREE medical care. Depending on ones income co-pays are frequently required. More V.A. Hospitals equates to more crap medical care, thanks OB. I wonder if McCain uses the V.A. ? The V.A. as well as ALL government agencies should have a motto at the entrance " We Don't give a crap ! Have a WONDERFUL day "
Just my experience.

Veterans should have the same healthcare plan as others who work for the government, congressmen.

a reply to: beezzer

Nah.
Give the congressmen the current VA treatment...
Give the vets the treatment that Congress gets now.

a reply to: dazbog

My VA experiences are infrequent, I have Tri-Care Standard which I do use though. I have found the Cleveland Regional Hospital to be staff by some good people. But their records department totally sucks and that is where things tend to make treatments slow down. If they don't have a record of some test that was performed, off you go again to have it redone. That's wasted time. And death in some cases.

It seems that the records department is the one that needs the most oversight. It doesn't help that they pay crap wages either so it's not like we're getting the brightest of the bunch.

Interviewee: "I'm here for the records keeping job."
HR: "Great! Have a seat. Do you have any experience working with computers?"
Interviewee: "I ran the cash register at McDonalds a while back."
HR: "Uh-huh, I see. Looks like you meet all the requirements then."
Interviewee: "Um...does that mean I'm hired?"
HR: "Yep! See you at eight o'clock Monday!" *Shakes hand*
Interviewee: "Um, eight o'clock? Isn't that kinda early?"
HR: "You'll get used to it."

This is all smoke and mirrors. I have no doubt that the plan is to eventually roll all of us currently using the VA into Obomacare. They're already letting veterans who don't have a VA facility nearby use local doctors. That's just the start. They plan to do away with the VA altogether. This administration hates the military and veterans. Remember, they have even said that they consider us to pose the most serious threat for domestic terrorism. I can't remember any past administration that has said such a vile thing about veterans. reply to: incoserv

a reply to: Oudoceus

If anything, it's a plan to enroll the populace using the ACA into a another version of the VA. Either way though, it can't be good.

a reply to: incoserv

Most of the funding is to hire more doctors and nurses... they need exam rooms to see patients in unless you'd prefer to make the current buildings' wait rooms, triage areas. The law also increases the ability to fire incompetence and mismanagement. Don't hate the bill out of the gate just because it has Obama's signature on it. The bill has nothing to do with him other than that.

Could it turn into another bureaucratic mess? Of course. Will it? Who knows? All any of us knows is that it is a disgusting shame to have let it get this far and we can't let vets continue to suffer.

What should be done instead?

a reply to: Kali74

With all due respect... I absolutely agree that we shouldn't hate the bill simply because of who signed it... but I maintain that this will not only become one form of nightmare or another; but it is already known what will fail, and has been engineered to engender a solution which will create NEW revenues for healthcare industries (there just SO noble and self-sacrificing!)

The concept of some "benefit" going to people who are politically powerless is always frowned upon... and overt efforts are made to frame the recipients in the light of an unreasonable burden on those who would be responsible for giving said benefits up. As it stands now the entire healthcare scheme is made to support the administrative middlemen and increase his "return on investment."

Whenever these folks (Presidents, Senators, Congressmen... and every "industry expert") speak the NEVER bother to explain that they themselves are NEVER subjected to the pains of trying to get what you allegedly deserve from the system... these people (who make the laws and earn lobby currency) NEVER wait in line, NEVER worry about premiums, deductibles, and cryptically calculated allowances...

They're already letting veterans who don't have a VA facility nearby use local doctors.

I am a EX EMT and know my local hospital is worse then the VA by a long shot.

I was in bad pain but The local hospital kept telling me nothing was wrong.

The VA found i had two autoimmune disorders Castleman's disease and Sarcoidosis. plus Neurosarcoidosis
small fiber polyneuropathy and fibromyalgia