Gee, if we had only know that more money would have been the answer..... 
Posted on 06/13/2014 5:25:23 AM PDT by Whenifhow
The founder and chair of a group dedicated to reducing hospital infection deaths told the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Thursday that a bill backed by the Senate Wednesday to address the backlog of veterans awaiting medical care “is designed to protect union jobs, not ailing vets.”
The bill drafted by Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, “will not save the lives of vets stuck on the wait list,” said Dr. Betsy McCaughey, chair of the Committee to Reduce Infection Deaths. “This bill as currently written is designed to protect union jobs, not ailing vets.”
SNIP
The bill approved on Wednesday “sabotages the ability of vets to access civilian care in three ways,” McCaughey said. First, it requires vets to get a letter from the secretary of Veterans’ Affairs, confirming that they waited “an unacceptable amount of time for treatment” or live more than 40 miles from a VA medical facility.
“Good luck getting that letter! I talk to vets all the time who have contacted the VA, called them, e-mailed them everyday for six months and couldn’t get a reply,” said McCaughey.
Then, once the veteran gets the letter and a choice card, they go to a civilian doctor. The doctor must then call the VA to get “prior approval before treatment.”
“Good luck getting somebody to answer that phone call,” McCaughey said.
“And thirdly, most preposterously, this bill states that this choice program will end in two years. In other words, a few hours after the VA manages to finally get the hotline up and get the cards distributed to vets, it will be over,” she said.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnsnews.com ...
Medical Advocate: Senate-Backed VA Bill ‘Sabotages Vets’ Ability’ To Access Civilian Care
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdSRrvqLs_g
Way to go Betsy!
When I first heard of this the first question that came to mind is how will this change anything? It will only get worse because they just added another layer of delay that they can now blame on those evil doctors who want only to cut off their patients feet to pad the Medicare bill that will never be paid.
This makes me sick. And pissed off.
Way to go Betsy!
When I first heard of this the first question that came to mind is how will this change anything? It will only get worse because they just added another layer of delay that they can now blame on those evil doctors who want only to cut off their patients feet to pad the Medicare bill that will never be paid.
Exactly, our politicians seem to really seem to know how take advantage of their own wrong doing to make the situation even worse and to simultaneously advance they agenda of taking over the entire medical system.
Never let a serious crisis go to waste - even if you have to manufacture that crisis your self.
Way to go Betsy!
When I first heard of this the first question that came to mind is how will this change anything? It will only get worse because they just added another layer of delay that they can now blame on those evil doctors who want only to cut off their patients feet to pad the Medicare bill that will never be paid.
Exactly, our politicians seem to really seem to know how take advantage of their own wrong doing to make the situation even worse and to simultaneously advance they agenda of taking over the entire medical system.
Never let a serious crisis go to waste - even if you have to manufacture that crisis your self.
Pretty much says what I’ve been posting here for some time.
And sending some veterans to civilian hospitals isn’t a good decision.
There are some issues veterans face that VA Hospitals handle on a routine basis that civilian hospitals are not equipped to handle.
This seems to me like they’re trying to take our VA care away and, instead of fixing the problems, fold us into the coming disaster of ObamaCare.
As the mother of a new Marine, you should be concerned.
This is a disaster in the making, and your son and the rest of the current troops can look forward to being crammed into the ObamaCare mess when they get out.
Later in the article Betsy adds:
McCaughey proposed allowing veterans on Medicare to use a “special Medigap card” to receive “non-combat-related,” “age-related” treatment, such as bypass surgery and angioplasty at civilian hospitals, particularly teaching hospitals.
“It would reduce the backlog by as much as half, solving this national crisis,” she said.
“And in many cases, vets would get better care, because the mortality rates at the teaching hospitals associated with many of these VA medical centers are much lower. They’re high volume hospitals, and they do these age-related procedures all the time,” McCaughey added.
“This seems to me like they’re trying to take our VA care away and, instead of fixing the problems, fold us into the coming disaster of ObamaCare.”
Well, airborne, of course that is the plan. In Zero’s mind there is no place of honor for our veterans, and no one (other than his anointed folks) should be exempt from socialized medicine (0bama-don’t-care)and the single payer utopia envisioned by his handlers.
This plan offered by McLame and the Commie is more smoke and mirrors; more libtard sleight-of-hand. And, more veterans will die as a result, if it’s passed and enabled.
It’s time to take back the country. Really helping our needful veterans would be a very good start.
Gee, if we had only know that more money would have been the answer.....
The UNIONS ARE THE PROBLEM!!!
The VA will NEVER be fixed until the employees can be fired!!!!
Just add to the bill.... Within 24 hours. You place a call, it has to be returned within 24 hours. You go to a private physician, the VA must approve within 24 hours.
Throw that at the senate and let’s see if they still vote for it.
“..is designed to protect union jobs, not ailing vets...”
The employees union has a contract which makes it impossible for management or Congress to change the operation within the VA. They have management working with a straight-jacket binding them. The public should be made privy to the written language of the labor/management contract.
The government employee unions are the enemy of good government.
The solution maybe an idea of a State Senator here in Michigan Pat Colbeck. It lost in the Senate 19 to 18 via arm twisting IMHO as an alternative to Medicaid Expansion. Shame on Gov. Snyder.
It combines a HSA with Concierge Service.
Give our Vet's a card that does what Senator Pat proposed. BTW it was estimated it would be half the cost of Medicaid or Medicare in the State.
Links below for more info:
V A ping.
BUT, but, Congress DID *something*....Isn’t that what MATTERS?! /do I really need it?
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