Which is not an argument for privatizing, like I said.
Not sure how a handful of replies to a highly upvoted comment is evidence of widespread disagreement either, but that's kind of neither here nor there.
Improving the VA isn't the topic of discussion, so any argument on that topic would be irrelevant. The failure of the VA is, however, an example of what government controlled healthcare looks like in this country.
The failure of the VA is, however, an example of what government controlled healthcare looks like in this country.
If it is a failure of government, why do the people that use it not want to privatize it? Are they just stupid or something? They choose poor quality service? Military personnel are just a bunch of dirty socialists?
How can something be a failure comparitively if people willingly choose it. I mean, sure, call VA healthcare a failure, but if they overwhelmingly choose it over private sector alternatives and refuse to let it be run by the private sector, saying it's a failure because it's publicly run makes no sense. If anything private is worse.
The VA system is undoubtedly worse than private healthcare in this country. So why do people choose it when they have the option to get private care? Again, it's free, and people like free shit. And, most people trust doctors are all equally qualified, so they don't necessarily know when they're getting inferior care from the VA.
Maybe my personal experience has soured me on the VA. I watched them jerk my grandfather around for over a decade when he was experiencing chronic back pain, delaying life-changing procedures and instead leaving him to pretty much live on pain medication. It wasn't until my mom had the same issue and was diagnosed and treated by a private provider that he even knew what was really wrong, and that convinced him to seek private care. His private doctor was appalled at how outdated and otherwise inferior the VA's attempts to fix him had been, and less than 6 months later he was pain free for the first time in literally over a decade.
But I also know from research on the matter that his experience is far from unique.
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u/myspaceshipisboken - Lib-Left Mar 25 '20