Silk Purse Deptartment: Fixing the VA and ObamaCare in One Swoop

The VA. Obamacare. Every bit of news surrounding these issues is scandalous, especially so in a country with the best healthcare institutions and providers in the world. But, there's a silver lining, if our politicians and leaders are willing to roll up their sleeves and take a couple for the team.



The VA debacle, with the backdrop of Obamacare, is a very rare opportunity to fix a whole plethora of issues while putting government on an economically feasible course.  The backstory:



The US government has for a long time wanted to provide heath care (note I said care and not insurance) to those who cannot afford it. The government also wants to care for its veterans, but has for decades had a devil of a time doing so in what many believe is a proper fashion.  Most recently, vets have had to wait so long, placed on "secret" lists, that some died from lack of access to care that is supposed to be provided by law.



That's the problem; how does it get fixed, rather than swirled around in the clogged toilet that is now  Congress? I like to think I'm a fixer. So here're my thoughts on how to repair it all. Read the list to the end, because the changes are massive, the plan requires them all, and both parties will squeal like the pigs they are:

1. Repeal ObamaCare.
2. Do away with the VA, transferring all of its hospitals to the US Public Health Service, the USPHS (more later...).
3. Give (buy) health insurance to every US military veteran who qualifies for the VA - and it should be the same health insurance plan that is given to members of Congress. In terms of cost, this is actually about a net-net, because it costs the US government in excess of $10k per vet in the VA system, and a really good health insurance plan can be less than that, given the amount of insured vets we're talking. And if it's good enough for veterans, it ought to be damned well good enough for Congress. This should be codified, perhaps as a constitutional amendment.
4. Every US veteran and their dependents should have access to all military, USPHS and government funded hospitals, including NIH and the like.  This used to be the case in years past; not sure why that went away.  
5. The former VA hospitals, now in the hands of the USPHS, become the place where all uninsured go for care. In fact, perhaps it should be a place where every American taxpayer can go, but not required to go. The poor and uninsured don't receive insurance plans, which frankly cost too much for what they deliver; rather the poor receive direct care from the same institutions which provided care for our vets.  Again, if it was good enough for the vets...
6. Considering #3 above, just imagine the boost to the economy!

The government needs to realize that the only thing it even comes close to doing well is pushing paper.  It has never, and will never, be able to actually do anything even as close to as well as the private sector. Taking the steps above, I think this puts the government in its place, and taps the true power of the American health care system - not issuing insurance, but delivering the best health care the world has ever known. 



GOP leaders, whistle-blower join in calls to privatize veterans' care | Fox News