“But the problem goes well beyond an incompetent cabinet secretary or a few corrupt local bureaucrats.”
I’ll say it is. The problem with VA hospitals is that they are government run health care facilities and like all government bureaucracies they care only about drawing a paycheck and nothing about customer service. My wife’s father, a WWII vet with diabetes went to the VA hospital for treatment of his diabetes and related ailments. He would never see the same doctor more than a couple of times and the quality of care was very far below par.
Being a vet myself, my wife has sworn that the only way I will go to the VA is that if we are destitute and have no choice.
My husband was hurt playing football in the navy. He had to have knee surgery. They opened up the wrong knee.
A friend of mine was 8 months pregnant and went to Ehrling Bergquist AF hospital with severe pain. They checked her and said it was false labor. She came back with vomiting also this time, then and they sent her home again. Her appendix burst days before. She survived, but the she was never the same. She has memory loss and talks slowly. She lost her baby.
I don't mean to pick on our military doctors/hospitals. I'm sure there are many good doctors and hospitals, but outside fighting wars and keeping us safe, it's the big government.
When I had my son at Tripler Army Hospital. Throughout my pregnancy I never seen the same doctor twice. On the day I had my son I was given a set of sheets and told where the dust mop was. I was lucky because I shared a room with one other women (who did not take care of her baby when he cried). Apparently most others shared a room with 5 other women.
If people knew what they are in for with government health care, there would be millions walking to DC demanding repeal of obamacare.