VA Scandal

Yes.

Yes.

Attacking the poster is an invalid argument. No matter what a poster's faults, his ideas should be debated based on their merit, not their origin.

If you've been watching the news, you will have seen that certain VA hospitals have been keeping false lists to cover up unacceptably long wait times and people have died as a result - lots of people. Every single person knowingly involved in each of these schemes should be fired and some should be arrested, since what they did must certainly be illegal. Hopefully, other VA locations provide good service, but the problem appears to be widespread enough that it is likely systemic.

Members of Congress who pass bad laws should simply not be returned to office, or at most they should be recalled. That's democracy. If I knew of a congressman who consistently voted against providing enough money to provide decent care at VA hospitals, I would vote against him.

Your shouting is really annoying.

Anyway, most of us have thought the VA is has been very good sometimes, me included. You didn't need to point that out to me, I know what I wrote. I also know a lot suffered from what I'll call V.A. ness. Workers there know about it. I've known a bunch of them.
I want the VA fixed and I want it rather strongly.
I have a pal recently doing well there - I am not a VA hater.

I'm also sort of a princess re having for most of my life, while being lower middle in money, to have great medical care, though at a lot of cost re insurance. Eventually unsustainable cost, and why I am walking poor now, but this is later in the scenario. I knew who the good doctors were via grapevine, even when I moved away from great care city, Santa Monica. And knowing someone in my new area in the north; I was helped by what turned out to be one of the major u.s. breast cancer surgeons, that was luck big time. Friend of a friend told me about her.

Most don't have my luck of back then, most don't know who other doctors regard well or have ifs about, as I did, working in that med world.

I want the V.A. system fixed, and I want the U.S. system in general fixed. Obama care? I want single payer as a base. Use some of the war money to pay for it.

When I first started reading about medicine, circa 1956, when I was finally let into the grownups library at 14, I read about some major guy in Ohio giving great trouble to residents.. I almost remember the name. I'll make a guess - Jack Davis? I'll have to look that up.

There are many stories that make up the web of medicine's growth. Some stories not good.

I do not do any shouting...so I don't know how it can be annoying.




I will point out what I want to whomever I want, Ossobuco. If you think there is something wrong with this...stop reading what I write.

Sure, now go ahead and make it purple, that'll be soothing.

Bold is used for emphasis. You emphasize every damn word.

That takes away from any seriousness you type.

So you aren't a vet. That's OK. Some of my best friends aren't either. I certainly did not mean to insult you by repeating what you've said about yourself.

Are you going to vote for vets like me and Frank and turn out your Teapublican Congressman(who's had how many term so far?) out of office or not?

That's the only question I have for you. That's the only thing you haven't addressed.

Ironically enough, the two guys being rabbit punches here are me and Frank. Two vets who had their lives saved by VA. Me standing with Frank.

Who'da thunk?

Listen, seriously. If I hadn't been insured or even insured by most private health insurance schemes, I have been diagnosed later and with a later stage bladder cancer, after all.

All the things th right claims about health programs in socialist countries like Canada, GB, Ireland, France, the Netherlands, Iceland...... and also VA - things like: long waits, indifferent staff and doctors, lots of "panels" and red tape, long appeal processes - just were not my experiance. I had bladder cancer but but because it is a smokers cancer and never, ever smoked, nobody looked for it. My symptoms included ones that were ambiguous and some not so. Bladder cancer was never considered. I told her I had pain in my kidney. She found no evidence of any kidney problem.

In a period of five or six appointment over a period of three months she finally ordered an MRI (in my humble opinion to shut me off and take it totaly off the list. Thats when they found the tumor in my bladder. Never ever once was I ever treated like a mope for "self diagnosis".

After the first visit the return visits were all booked less than two weeks in advance. That's pretty tough to get from a private health care, I never got that with Blue Cross, Humana, I can tell you that. And all on one Doctor's recommendation. No health care manager or panels.

I won't get too detailed about the surgery, but after being paralyzed, put on a breathing tube, they inserted a tube into Mr Weasel the diameter " of your little finger" to accommodate a laser, a vegematic device and a suction, an irrigator, a light, a camerera - a Swiss knife basically.

The worst was when they removed the tube after I came to and was breathing on my own. Catheter sez you? Tube sez I. I really do have a least a little insight on whatt a t least a fair if very quick idea of what childbirth might be like.

The follow ups are now only yearly but monthly in the beginning require a camera going you know where. Its a hands on operation that takes fifteen minutes and I am almost always reasonably taken in, within fifteen minutes or so 90% of the time. AND it seems like Fox isn't on any of the TVs in the waiting rooms anymore.

Its done with care. I now understand what women go through when a sometimes a woman puts me pants-less into stirrups. But I feel like they care about what they do and who I am. AND I don't have a bladder-bag, and I am alive.

All this is about is they treated me and continue to treat me right. AND I don't have a bladder-bag, and I am alive. There is no doubt if I had a problem my Doctor will get me an appointment in a day or see me right now or she'll send me to an emergency room locally. VA does a lot right. Congress is the bad guy here. You want the vets who went so you had a choice not to go get a better VA? Well this vet wants to know: will you vote your many termed professional Teapublican Congressman out over his continued voting against vets?

Seriously. I kn

There is no doubt the VA has some fantastic doctors, nurses, etc., that save lives and do really good. Nobody is attacking them. It's the others we want chastised, and there are plenty of them. Personal experience alone is not enough to view the whole situation. That's why we rely on reports, statistics and such. Repeating over and over that your own treatment was exemplary does not address the problem we are having with the other doctors, who also are in the system.

Edgar. This isn't about the wonderful treatment Frank and I get with a single payer program. Its so good, I want it for you, too.

The problem is that Congress continues to underfund the VA and its mandated mission. Another thing to remember is that VA to some degree is a patronage department and a lot of Bush appointments are still there only now retiring out.

There is only one simple answer. Fund VA. Write your Congressman. Don't let the Teaheads escape their responsibilities to vets.

Listening, bobsal, writing it up I get.

I agree they need to be funded. 40 Republicans stopped a funding bill in the senate a few days ago. They also need to ferret out the bad eggs that have been embedded there, some since long before GW Bush was president.

No need. Bold does the job just fine.

First you said it was shouting...and now you are saying it is for emphasis. Which is it?

And if it bothers you that much (and it really shouldn't) just do not read what I write. You remind me of someone complaining about the content of a television program...when the remote is within reaching distance.

Carry on then, nurse.

I really enjoyed the "Carry On" movies, Ossobuco.

Agreed 100%! Get the politician's hands off of VA.

Gentlemen, the VA is not a charity.

I am sorry to remind you that I have liked you, more or less or more or less, for many years.

I'll be glad to leave you alone. Enjoy your new larger space for shouting.

I don't know who called the VA a charity. It certainly was not me.