PE Trump is talking to CEO's of Mayo Clinic and Johns Hopkins about running the VA. On the table is letting vets use private hospitals. Good?

Here is the gist. PE Trump is speaking to the CEO's of some of the best hospitals in our country; namely the Mayo Clinic and Johns Hopkins on how to run and fix the VA Health Care system which is broken (no not saying EVERY VA hospital is broken). On the table as an option is to allow vets to utilize private hospitals outside the VA network. Vet groups such as VFW and Paralyzed Veterans of America are defending the VA and say that allowing vets to utilize private hospitals for care would "break the system" and cause vets to lose care. There are a lot of strawman arguments and politisizing on both sides of the discussion but the fact is that the VA Health Organization is broken, wastes taxpayer money, and in some instances has allowed vets to die in their care from untreated infections and negligence. One vet died and they found maggots in his wounds. (http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/12/04/4-quit-after-oklahoma-veteran-with-maggots-in-wound-dies.html).
So the question is do we continue to allow the VA to run as is or do we start to think outside the box to fix this system that, in some instances, is a veterans only recourse for care?

I don't know why PE Trump is looking at Dr. Ben Carson for Sec of HUD as opposed to Sec of VA or Surgeon General. That makes more sense to me. Who would know how to fix the healthcare problems better than a doctor?

Makes sense to me. Being retired military my family uses the military healthcare system and our primary physicians are on base providers. However for most issues that require a specialist we are sent to providers from local hospitals. Seems like the same relationship would work for the VA.

I've been fighting with the VA over receiving an MRI and CT-Scan to prove my TBI for close to four years. Because Walter Reed lost me medical jacket after I was blown up, the VA says there is no proof that I was injured (besides a fake kneecap and a huge visible crack in my skull). If I could schedule those tests through an actual hospital, I would be very thankful. But, for now, I must call daily to be told that there are no current open appointments and that they can't put me on a list because lists are bad.

I would say it that it is a good idea look at the most successful Healthcare organizations up front. However, the thing that both John's Hopkins and the Mayo Clinic have going for them is that they are on the top of the mountain for staffing and they are funded to the max. As such, they can pick and choose from the best of the best for both providers and equipment. On the other hand, the VA is at the bottom mountain and in many cases is forced to take anyone who is willing to walk through the door. It's like saying that you are going to take the Commandant of the Marine Corps and have him fix the Chicago PD. While he certainly understands what makes for an effective team and how to manage men (and women), the class of men he will have to deal with is on a completely different level. Without the power to fire people at will and to close and open facilities at will, I don't see any one manager making a big difference in day to day operations at the VA. Privatization on the other hand will help some and hurt others.

If the VA will pay for the treatment as if the patient was being treated in a va hospital? yes We already have the veterans choice program which lets patients get treatment somewhere else if they live too far away or an appointment cannot be made withing a few weeks. But it would be a nice option if you have a prefered doctor that works somewhere else or you just want to to go somewhere a little closer to home.

This would probably allow me to get the micro surgery on my spine, rather than the 6-8" zipper that is the best that the VA will allow. I have avoided the surgery for a few years exactly because of this. My narrow view on this subject.

Hello everyone. Personally, I do not want the VA to be privatized. At some point, we took the oath to defend our country and some of us came back a shell of our former selves. Therefore, the government SHOULD be responsible for our care. Now, I think that things should be trimmed and the next head of the VA should be a disabled veteran...someone who had to deal with the system themselves. I don't need or want a billionaire CEO overseeing things at the VA. We will become numbers and not Veterans.

Also, some give the VA Choice program a bad rap. It can be improved but that is going to take some time. I myself have used the Choice program and have been treated by wonderful civilian doctors. It can work but because it took so long for the VA to implement this, it will have some hiccups.