Yet Another Socialized Medicine Thread

[jeff]

Thanks for the reply... For the VA, I have no idea what the overhead is, but sadly they don't have the reputation of being first rate medical institutions you would actually want to go to... Not exactly the right way to show appreciation those who wore the uniform, I think.

[yeoldearmourer]

The Va system is getting better but lack funding from the government to really help out the vet. As someone who used the VA system it get fruasted trying to get things done because of the lack of money which Congress refused to put the VA funding into the budget its budget in a different mentod and we have too fight for every dime for care. The idiots in Washington sends us off to fight and get mined and died for there wars and we dont complain but they treat us a second class citizens. Then is very few members of Congress now that as even service in the Armed forces. I sorry VA is A very touching issue with me and my family as 3 of us are Disable Vets

[Inquartata]

Yet, I was just reading in Consumer Reports that the VA has a state-of-the-art patient file network that allows a doctor in any VA faclity to access the records of any patient, and lets patients themselves track health care indicators such as BP results etc. and look at limited versions of their own histories. This is supposed to be a very overhead-streamlining and treatment-enhancing thing, according to Consumers Union.

Apparently the federal government is trying to connect the various medical records of all patients and the computerized records systems of all doctors offices and hospitals in the ountry this way. CU claims that it would reduce overhead in the private health-care sector by...I think it was something like $68 billion a year. Although they don't think there are sufficient safeguards and privacy protections being considered.