For me, VA has been a blessing
As someone who has been served by the much maligned Veterans Affairs medical community, I feel a need to speak on its behalf.
While it is popular to lament that we are not doing enough for our veterans, that in many instances is just political posturing. Yes, we can never do enough for those who have sacrificed so much for this country. Yet a large number of veterans are being well cared for, and rightfully so. I am fortunate to be one of them. The VA provided a no-money-down loan for me and many others who needed a little financial help. Today it provides me with some of the best medical care available.
I have been receiving medical care through the VA for many years, beginning at the old VA hospital on Owens Avenue and proceeding through today’s local clinics and state-of-the-art hospital. I have been through changes, good and bad, some just for the sale of change. The people I have dealt with, the clerks, the nurses, the techs, the aides, the doctors, the social workers, with rare exception, always did their best to provide me with their best. Let us not be to quick to lump all of the VA into one basket. The bureaucracy is what needs to be fixed, as in all government agencies.
Since most of my comments here concerning the VA have been in regard to medical care, I would be remiss not to mention my cardiac catheterization at the VA hospital here. Results were good. I left the hospital feeling I could not have received better care anywhere. In addition, from the day my doctor and I first questioned if there was a problem until the actual procedure, only one month lapsed. That included doctor visits, X-ray, electrocardiogram, stress test and echogram. I do not believe any health insurer, including Medicare, would have allowed this in less than six months.
If I sound as though I am an advocate of a single-payer system for medical care, I am, though as a right-leaning sometimes libertarian, I do have difficulty admitting it. It all comes down to being able to have an efficient, responsible bureaucracy, and that may not be something that is possible.
Jerry Andreoli Jr., Las Vegas