President Obama spoke about healthcare reform today. He is pushing for universal healthcare coverage and I agree that everyone in our country should have some type of coverage. According to CNN, "In a speech to the 158th annual meeting of the doctors' advocacy organization, Obama called an overhaul of the ailing health care system the most important issue for the nation's long-term economic stability... The AMA (American Medical Association) acknowledges the need for reforms but opposes any public option plan that forces physicians to participate, expands the fiscally challenged Medicare program for senior citizens or pays Medicare rates."
So what type of reform will we see? I hope we see some significant reform in medical malpractice so that physicians no longer need to practice "defensive medicine" and order a battery of unnecessary tests. What will a public health insurance plan look like? I doubt we'll resemble Canada, but maybe it will mirror some of the things we currently see in the VA (Veterans Affairs) health system. Some type of health coverage is better than no coverage. Image source: CNN
YES the VA Medical Faculties are government run health care which the government NEVER has enough money to properly fund for fewer than 15 million veterans/patients. What will occur when civilian doctors are mandated by government because of low funding to medicate the majority of 300 million people’s symptoms’ instead of costly, prolonged, or unproven treatments?
ReplyDeleteVA healthcare needs major boost in funding
For decades our government has done a very good job of saving taxpayers’ money with inadequate Veterans Affairs funding.
President Obama recently made excellent leadership appointments to Veterans Affairs. Even with their proven leadership abilities, and impeccable credentials, both Secretary Eric Shinseki and Deputy Secretary W. Scott Gould are facing the cumulative inadequacies of decades past. The tiny fuse of overmedication that has kept this whole VA system operational for 30-some years now desperately needs to be replaced with major re-wiring.
This young generation of veterans should not have to experience the palliative treatment of health care most veterans using the VA have experienced for decades. It would be great to see the VA step into the 21st century as the leader in world-class health care.
But after decades of under-funding, this proposed new VA budget is not enough. For our new leadership to achieve its full potential along with world-class VA health care, a one-time, additional funding of at least $17 billion is desperately needed.
The VA has many good doctors working there who will feel much relief to actually have the opportunity to treat their patients instead of just medicating their symptoms.