CNN: (VA) Hospital Delays Are Killing America's War Veterans

CNN ^ | Updated 8:33 a.m. EST Wednesday, November 20, 2013 | Scott Bronstein, Nelli Black and Drew Griffin

[kristinn]

Columbia, South Carolina (CNN) -- Military veterans are dying needlessly because of long waits and delayed care at U.S. veterans hospitals, a CNN investigation has found.

What's worse, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is aware of the problems and has done almost nothing to effectively prevent veterans dying from delays in care, according to documents obtained by CNN and interviews with numerous experts.

The problem has been especially dire at the Williams Jennings Bryan Dorn Veterans Medical Center in Columbia, South Carolina. There, veterans waiting months for simple gastrointestinal procedures -- such as a colonoscopy or endoscopy -- have been dying because their cancers aren't caught in time.

The VA has confirmed six deaths at Dorn tied to delays...(deaths) at this facility could be more than 20.

SNIP

CNN's repeated requests for interviews with the VA have been denied. Even Congress has had its requests for information ignored, Miller said.

"But unfortunately, if they treat members of Congress ... this way, imagine how they treat the average veteran out there," said Miller. "I can imagine the grief they may be going through."

The VA said in a statement to CNN, "The Department of Veterans Affairs is committed to providing the best quality, safe and effective health care our Veterans have earned and deserve. We take seriously any issue that occurs at one of the more than 1,700 health care facilities across the country. The consult delay at Dorn VAMC has been resolved."

The statement added that cases are now tracked daily, and additional staff members were hired.

But sources at Dorn -- both patients and medical staff -- tell CNN that's just not true. The problems continue, and veterans are still facing delays that could be killing them.

[chessplayer]

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[miserare]

...and soon, all 300,000,000 of us can enjoy this level of care.

[hinckley buzzard]

Part of the difference since 2002 is that the flood of veterans of the Southwest Asian wars has overwhelmed resources. The VA has been strapped by the failure of the Congress to pass a budget in the last five years, so funds to expand personnel and services have not been there.

That having been said, the reports sound very much like what routinely is reported from Canada and Great Britain about their government dominated healthcare systems. If you live in UK, pray you don't get cancer. If you do, you will almost certainly die sooner than you should have to.