Is McCain great for our military, but deadly for our veterans?, can he change this bad idea?

McCAIN PROMISE WOULD DISMANTLE VA AND PRIVATIZE


VETERANS' HEALTHCARE -- "I'm going to get every one


of our veterans a plastic card to take to their doctor


or healthcare provider to get the care they need."


The story here:


http://www.vawatchdog.org/08/nf08/nfFEB0...








My thought’s here:


The cost of treatment in civilian hospitals is astronomical compared to the VA. Our VA has a great lab, eye clinic, and new state of the art dental clinic that should be open to all veterans for a co-payment. A few procedures are not available at the VA that need to be contracted out, but to put a few million vets into another more expensive already over-burdened system would-be deadly to many. Much of the medication the VA pharmacies’ carry is only used by Veterinarians, the doctors at the VA would have a better success rate using modern medications. I would rather higher co-pay for a medicine that works which allows me to think and function, instead of

Is McCain great for our military, but deadly for our veterans?, can he change this bad idea?
I read the story and share some of your concerns. Though whilst living in Florida my father had to travel from the space coast to the Tampa VA Hospital to get "Specialized treatment". I believe Orlando had one but it wasn't as good as or didn't offer the services that the Tampa VA did. This was about the time that I became enraged about the way our veterans are treated medically. I had no idea until then. The local VA was nothing more than a glorified doctors office. The Tampa VA initially treated my father like he was someone looking for a free room with a cot. After complaining to the area state representative the quality of service improved dramatically. He was initially there for a arterial Bi-pass but the lack of attention postponed them finding the spot on his lung that eventually killed him in august of 2000. "IF" he had a "Plastic Card" he might have still been alive today. Yet I do not completely disagree with you. I feel Veterans should be able to seek private health-care and still be allowed to utilize the current VA system. Creating more options and improving the system all ready in place.


We currently have a 775 Billion dollar surplus. "IF" Bush followed McCain's advice about troop levels we could have saved how many Billions not to mention the largest cost of lives and limbs. Much could be done by McCain to reduce spending. The Department of education could be dissolved and billions could be flooded into schools giving oversight back to the states. Homeland Security is another Bureaucracy that could be revamped saving Billions more. The only reason McCain didn't vote for 2 of the tax cuts was because it didn't include provisions to curtail spending forcing the size of the Federal government to be reduced saving billions more. Now, with a 775 Billion dollar surplus and a presidential candidate calling for streamlining government so much could be done for you and other American heroes such as yourself. Let's face reality of any politician out there, McCain will do the most for our bravest citizens who have sacrificed the most for our freedoms.





I promise to closely monitor this issue for it is of the utmost importance to me and should be as highlighted as the war and the economy!


God Bless You





All I can say is I am disgusted that this issue hasn't been a forefront one since forever. I remember being younger and reagan was touting tax cuts and I was thinking how can you possibly lower taxes whilst our veterans aren't getting the treatment they deserve. I was a teenager at the time. Now I see the benefits of tax cuts and the huge surplus yet our veterans are still neglected. SICKENING!!! We Americans are so selfish and ultimately lust for immediate gratification. We should all, both Republicans , Democrats, and all in between be ashamed!!!
Reply:"I'm going to get every one of our veterans a plastic card to take to their doctor or healthcare provider to get the care they need." I think this quote was taken out of context on the site. I actually think he meant that he wants to improve the system and let you choose the care you recieve by giving us cards for low or no cost healthcare. I don't see this as bad. He is a veteran and he understands the needs for healthcare for those who have served.
Reply:Sounds like a good thing to me. I thnk your perspective is backward--VA is overpriced and overburdened. (Overpriced in that it is subsidized--Service people don't see those costs directly, but it raises prices for healthcare across the board.)





VA is generally wasteful as are most things that are government run. In the private market, we can get better prices and better, faster care.





There's a reason I jump through the extra hoops to keep my wife on our private insurance even while I'm deployed and she's eligible for Tricare.
Reply:I have a few problems with the article. The writer obviously knows little about Tricare yet he tries to make it sound bad and compares VA care to it.





My wife and i have been under tricare fro well over 10 years, we have never had any problems with high Co-pays or finding a Doctor who would accept it. I have had 10 Heart Catherizations and Tricare handled all of them. My total cost for them (not counting the Ambulances) $250. I would say that's not bad.





The only problem we ever had was switching my wife to Tricare for life, bu that's another story.





I hope McCain will do right by the Veterans an I am certain he will do better than the alternatives.
Reply:My Dad goes to the VA hospital in Memphis Tn.But he also has a private Doctor that he See's twice a year.Good thing too,because his private Doctor has found Not once,but on two different occasions the VA doc's had given him medication that was not what he actually needed.


He is forced to see the VA doc's because the many things wrong with him his private insurance want pay all the bills.Which by the way neither does the VA, so, he's kind of caught in a catch 22 as far as getting the help he really needs.


Let's face it,,,the system is not working and our Vet's are paying the price.


What happened to the days when your Doctor cared about you and didn't take advantage of you when you were sick? Some will say it's not the Doc's fault,then who's is it?Why all of a sudden does it cost us 85 to a 100 dollars just for them to tap you on the knee,take your blood pressure and temperature and tell you take this medication and you will be better in a few days.Then you pay 35 to 75 dollars for meds that should have been given to you by injection at your Doc's office.


It's all about the all mighty dollar now,,,not you or your well being.Most Doctors don't give a crap about you,but they will sure let you know if your late on your payment.
Reply:A Vote for McCain is a Vote for 4 more years of Bush Politics..We cannot afford the loss of life and expense.
Reply:I don't know what exactly he did in the military, and it actually makes no difference, just like what Bob Dole did in WW2 makes no difference, in regard to the fact that they are war mongers, neo Ustase and dangerous. I don't understand how a person who has a reputation of a bully, nicknamed McNasty in school, is so popular. Anyway, I hope and pray that he will never ever become president.