Since military healthcare far exceeds VA, should we expand DoD and close the VA? What do RP Vets think?

2015-11-10T13:14:01-05:00

The disparity of care between the Active Duty component and the VA is clear to veterans who have experienced both sides. Since the VA has become such a bureaucratic nightmare that is poor at meeting the needs of veterans, what about the idea of expanding the DoD healthcare system to care for veterans?

Response by PO3 Maria Flasher made Nov 10 at 2015 2:06 PM

2015-11-10T14:06:15-05:00

As a veteran I have made multiple active attempts to use the VA system for health care in the past, of which I have been met with a number of obstacles. The first time I tried I was told that I made too much money to access the VA for my health care needs. The next time I tried I had lost my job and was allowed access, but the doctor I had was always very cold to me and I felt as if she felt I was wasting her time with my "issues". I got fed up after only a handful of appointments and left their care.
You can call it budgeting issue, staffing issues, or whatever you want. I am of the opinion that it is more that the federal government wants our men and women of the military to be willing to give all with the expectation of little to nothing in return. I know health care is a business because I am in the business of providing health care to others, but until a lot of changes are made to the VA system you won't catch me anywhere near a VA hospital.

Response by LCDR Rabbah Rona Matlow made Nov 10 at 2015 8:55 PM

2015-11-10T20:55:40-05:00

This has been asked before. Already, retirees pay much more for medical care than Active Duty, and they keep jacking up our copays, despite not getting a COLA.

If retirees are considered TRICARE/OSD's cash cow, how much more so do you think non-retiree veterans would be treated as such?

Further, if DOD were paying disability benefits as well as pensions, we'd likely see the end of CRDP/CRSC, and a whole host of other cuts, as they try to move money to operations at the expense of vets.

This would be a very bad idea...

Response by Sgt James Howard made Nov 11 at 2015 11:09 AM

2015-11-11T11:09:37-05:00

According to the VA 2016 budget request, the overall budget is in the neighborhood of $168B, while the total Med budget is about $63B. The VA healthcare system reportedly cares for about 8.76M veterans annually. That means that the VA spends about $7,190 per veteran on health care annually, if all those healthcare dollars actually make it to the veterans in the form of care, which is doubtful. It seems like the same amount of money would go a lot further if poured into the DoD system, but I'm sure there would be obstacles. Another way to look at it is this: for $168B annually, we are getting very poor healthcare and overall care for our veterans. The way the VA presents their budget, it is hard to discern how much is spent on overhead and how much actually makes its way to veterans, but with all the reports of VA negligence, it seems like not much makes it to the vets after it filters through the bloated bureaucracy. On the other hand, the military care system is very good. It would be interesting to see how much farther the same $168B would go if put in the hands of active duty physicians and other military healthcare professionals. I would be willing to bet that it would go a lot farther.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 20 at 2015 1:31 PM

2015-11-20T13:31:34-05:00

Government should get out of healthcare and insurance business. Government runs it too inefficiently, way too much waste. Private sector runs MUCH more efficiently. Military should focus on combat medicine, Deployable Troop medical clinics, battalion aid stations, and combat support hospitals. Private sector providers under contract could handle state side medicine.