VA has problems but no simple answers

David Robinson’s letter to the editor on July 30 promotes another simplistic solution to a complex subject and denigrates government agencies as inefficient and wasteful. He wildly states, “The VA is living proof that single-payer does not work” and the VA is “woefully inefficient.”

Robinson concluded that dividing the total annual cost to run the VA ($180 billion) by the number of patients (7 million) yields about $25,000 per patient, which he asserts could be used by the veterans for health insurance.

I offer some thoughts to consider before condemning the VA and our veterans.

The VA must take all veterans accepted for care under the law. These conditions include cancer, loss of limbs, aging-related conditions, post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental problems.

Robinson assumes the quality of insurance purchased would cover all their medical conditions with the same level of care. Think high-end prosthetics to replace a limb, quadriplegic care or expensive cancer drugs, which the VA furnishes free or at reduced cost. I must assume that the co-payments for the above would come out of the $25,000.

And finally, thanks to Congress, the insurance market is in turmoil; $25,000 would not guarantee veterans would qualify for or afford health insurance.

Yes, the VA has problems, but no more than any other for-profit business or governmental organization of comparable size and complexity. Dan Zuber Orlando