Jeb Bush Calls for Privatizing Elements of Veterans Health Care

"Personally, I would like to have freedom to choose private options for my health care."

Sir, personally I would like to have the freedom to choose an option which can't put me in an 8 month holding pattern, because they don't have any actual metrics to measure themselves against.

To play devils advocate here. In TX if you want to renew your car registration (or at least you used to be able to), you go to the grocery store, instead of the DPS (aka DMV).

This doesn't have to be an all or nothing thing.

Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS I'm pro fixing the problem and anti wasting money.

Don't you have any health insurance? Why not simply deal with whatever issues you have through your health insurance?

If you don't recognize that the VA suffers from sever resource constraints... I don't know what to tell you. If I give you $500 and ask you to go buy a car, your probably not going to return with a very nice car. It doesn't make sense to berate you because the car you brought back is ugly and doesn't run very well.

SSG (Join to see) If you're anti wasting money, you'd be pro getting rid of the VA completely. It's INEFFICIENT, INCOMPETENT, and has proven itself UNTRUSTWORTHY with our MONEY.

As for my Health insurance, the VA is one the #%#^ benefits I earned through service, just like your Tricare Prime option. Why the hell should I have to pay out of pocket AGAIN, when I've ALREADY PAID for it? Do you think you should have to pay for private health insurance ON TOP of your Tricare prime?

The VA may suffer from resource constraints. I never said they didn't. What I said is that the the US Government is a complete and total failure at taking care of Vets, and it's not just because of those resource constraints. I've spoken on this issue MANY times on RP. The VA as ran by the US Government cannot accomplish their stated mission.

I'm not berating the US Government about it. I'm stating a fact.

However, there are people like yourself who keep wanting to give the US Government 2nd, 3rd, and 900th chances to #%^#%$ up again. That's insane. Why do we want to put ourselves through the same failure again?

I'm suggesting we at least give someone else a chance. Maybe, just maybe the private sector will do it a "little" better. Because ANYTHING is better than we have now.

Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS SSG (Join to see)
I have worked in private industry and I can tell you that they are no paragon of efficiency. There was kind of a story at HP that they could be out of business for 6 months before it actually showed up on the books. If the VA is making the same mistakes over and over again it might be because the root problem was never addressed (lack of resources). On the flip side the VA is also a leader in prosthetics engineering and long term TBI treatment.

SPC Jan Allbright, M.Sc., R.S. That's kind of my point. I don't think the root problem ever has been addressed. I just disagree that it is a "resource" problem. I think it's a philosophical vice a functional one.

The VA does have good points. It is very good at the Education side. I don't knock it at what it is good at. But I'm not going to pull punches about what it is jacked at.

The private sector has its advantages and disadvantages as well. Most notably is its ability to be replaced. An actual willingness to strive to do better, because in capitalism there is someone nipping at your heels.

I'm not claiming private sector is the solution. It's likely somewhere between. I am however saying that public only is a definite failure, and we need to explore something "beyond" that.