VA Care

ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL – Journalists Falsely Report VA Care Better Than Private Sector

VA Care

Journalists appear to be asleep at the wheel in light of false reports about the sham RAND study telling readers VA care is as good or better than the private sector.

“Better than the private sector,” some of you may be questioning? That is right.

Like the slight of hand from a magician, the echo chamber of VA took a study comparing outdated studies of VA care comparing Medicare to VA care and report that VA care is now as good or better than private care.

That latter conclusion is well known to be false, but the slight of hand — shifting focus from Medicare to Private Care — did not sway countless reporters in the echo chamber from repeating the erroneous information.

Only here on DisabledVeterans.org did you hear the real deal about the supposed study, which actually revealed a mixed and even deadly review of very poor surgical outcomes.

So the moral of the study here is that routine diagnostic care might be good but do not get any form of surgical care from VA or you will die. At least, that was the case circa 2009 and before. But somehow VA has no new data for RAND to evaluate? How convenient.

RELATED: Better Take A Closer Look At That RAND Study

VETERANS NOT FOOLED LIKE PRESS CORPS

I am proud to say some of my readers here quickly picked up on the magician’s touch and found the flies in the ointment all other journalists missed when reporting on the study.

One veteran, Dennis, found that VA was in tight control of the data and the wording of the study, “They were extremely precise in explaining that the study guidelines, protocol, data sets, and access to records was tightly controlled by VHA and NOT by the researchers doing the study.”

READ IT: Comparing VA And Non-VA Quality Of Care: A Systemic Review

As some of you know, the Veterans Health Administration has maintained tight control over the parameters of RAND’s most recent study, which in fact did not conclude that VA care is equal to or better than the private sector.

Instead, the sham RAND study of VA health care merely evaluated a small sliver of health care data from pre-2010 health care data sets to claim that both forms of health care are on par with each other. But nothing could be further from the truth.

The study compared numerous studies published between 2005 to 2013 in order to find how well VA health care was performing compared to various kinds of private care, mainly Medicare. Keep in mind, there are heaps of differences between the quality of care for someone using Blue Cross vs someone using Medicare, the former being of a higher quality.

But that delineation alone did not prevent many journalists from parroting that VA is of a better quality than private sector care, which is a comparison study that was not truly performed by RAND in this instance.

Meanwhile, the RAND study was actually a literature review and only evaluated studies using data sets that predate the wait list scandal of this decade. The data sets evaluated ranged from 1985 to 2009.

So how can this reflect the present state of VA health care? It cannot.

Further, the studies evaluated merely looked at comparisons between Medicare patient care and VA care, but it did not evaluate private sector care through normal insurance, which would have substantially different outcomes.

Nonetheless, this did not stop those in the press corps from reporting the fake win for President Obama and Democrats.

It was like running a race where your opponents are shackled but no one else knows but you. And then you blast to the media how fast of a runner you are.

Sadly, this is not the first time VA pulled in RAND Corporation to cover its but with a positive spin vis a vis a similar literature review resulting in a similarly tricky conclusion. In 2010, it did the same thing.

COMPARE IT: Comparison Of Quality Of Care In VA And Non-VA Settings

THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS ECHO CHAMBER

Anyway, here are some of the press headlines I found immediately being highlighted by the sheeple at VoteVets and elsewhere, desperately supporting their party ahead of the veterans repeatedly harmed in the corrupt bureaucracy.

Like the Koch Brothers but with even deeper pockets, VA has created its own echo chamber that no doubt will turn on veterans over time.

Federal Times – Rand study finds VA care equal or better than private sector

VoteVets – “While Republicans like Mitch McConnell and Donald Trump push for VA privatization, a new report finds VA health care is often better than or equal to the care offered in the private sector.”

Military.com – VA Provides Safer, More Effective Care Than Other Systems: Rand

ExecutiveGov – RAND: VA Generally Offers Comparable Healthcare Quality To Non-VA Systems

ScienceDaily – Quality Of Care In VA Health Care System Compares Well To Other Settings

None of these headlines are correct if for no other reason than they report the finding in the present tense. All the date was gathered before 2010 even though some of the studies surveyed were published as recently as 2013.

The deceptive use of the present tense in the headlines will give Americans the sense that veterans are whiney complainers. This is exactly what Americans used to think before CNN broke the wait list scandal.

The deluge of negative publicity lasted for years, but now VA is fighting back using modern propaganda called public relations to put out its controlled, taxpayer funded message.

DESIRED EFFECT OF CONTROLLED MESSAGING

Controlled messages like these will have the effect of lulling Americans back to sleep until our next major war.

Veterans will regain the stigma of previous generations. Iraq veterans will be told to eat crud, just like the rest of us.

And the system will continue to grow and veterans will continue to die.

Thanks, RAND.

In essence, the publication was a highly paid PR stunt that rented the clout built up by RAND over the years to help silence dissenters while improving VA’s image to non-Veterans.

So how much did this useless study cost taxpayers?

Similar Posts

43 Comments

  1. Hi you nice people are realy late I have been saying all of this and reporting to News and VA and VA Funding comm. Who Jeffry is head and I sent them a letter way before Phx. broke on how to give the Vets. the same insurance OB got for his family ( the best under his care ) all vets and save over $ 56,000,000,000.00 ( yes that is min. of the savings and all VETS NOT JUST DISABLE ONES ) just give them all this insurance work with the insurance comp. get best rate and all happy. ( the vet goes to a local doctor. better choice, better service because they have to to keep you coming back, they care much more because of this, the good worker at the VA would be pick up by the out side because of need, the wrong one will be out of a job they only wanted for the money not to help those who gave them the job and last of all back up at VA will be gone for Med. Care because all will have who served will have it covered by this plan. ) now I gave them this plan and had 3 sentitors( sorry I can’t spell ) and a flunky call me saying the same thing ( WE DON’T LIKE VETS TALKING ABOUT HAVING THEIR OWN INSURANCE AT ALL !!!!!!!!! ) Well then I got a letter from Jeff saying I should send this type of letter to my senetor who was from S.C I told I already did and to him and Fox News and told them about the many Vets who died the year before in S.C. who would have live if the testing was done when ask for by the Vets but they got the run around and died for it and nothing was done to those who killed they but they got a lot of money for their kills and we got less for our life and their lack of caring for those who they work for, so what took you so long to get word out is fear or lack of caring for your brothers and sister who you would die for in battle but would not stop it sooner so they could live as we do now and them in the ground for lack of care from all. We have their blood on us but they who didn’t give a shit and killed them and will suffer more in the end.

  2. VA DCEATHCARE IS A FEDERAL RICO CRIME RACKET RUN BY @ FOR AFGE UNION CONTRACTS VETS YO ARE SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO SCREWED BY VA DEATHCRE FROM AFGE UNION CONTRACTS HELL !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  3. RAND, The VA, the “Media”, Congress, All governments world-wide, Elections, Brexit and the reshuffling of financial centers around the globe. All New World Order to keep control of everyone. Everything has to work in their favor. They insist “all goes well” We are not divided….no sirrr- eee. Bring on the A-bombs.

  4. The Rand Corp. used to make bullets, bombs, and artillery shells for DOD. Some of those artillery rounds were defects that resulted in a number of friendly fire incidents over in Viet-Nam killing and wounding a lot of men. They’re not using a very good model when comparing VA care to Medicare. This whole thing Rand is spewing is just some more of their propaganda. The majority of the public will swallow all this though, hook line and sinker.

  5. 07/20/2016

    Dear Benjamin Krause,

    Hundreds of Newspapers covered up the Treason that has been documented as the 1998 Cox Report, authored by the U.S. Representatives [900 pages].

    In 1989, Karlheinz A. Halter and I went to the UCLA Journalist Convention to meet with the Head of the Department that spoke fluent Spanish. We were trying to find out what happen to all the investigative reporters at that time—not a one in California [“all over seas”]. Reporter Pat Maio from the Daily Breeze already disappeared after giving us the number to the Congressional Committee [more heat came down on us], in 1988, at the Alpine Village.

    In the 1970s, reports came out the CIA had their guys in most major newspapers and this has been confirmed as a fact [San Jose Mercury News].

    In our Case [Slide-matic] we went to the The Daily Breeze, San Pedro Pilot, Long Beach Press Telegram, the Orange County Register, the Los Angeles Times, Random Length News, Los Angeles Harbor Tides, Easy Reader, Grunion Gazette, the Spanish Newspapers, the New York Post, the Wall Street Journal, the Akron Beacon Journal, and many other Newspapers in Austria & Germany.

    This exposed us and it was worthless, and dangerous, and counterproductive, that is why the Long Beach Eagle and The Hawk flew to heights no one expected. Informing readers of the moves management was taking with the C-17 in 1991, and many other issues involving our Nation.

    There are few newspapers that has handed this VA Treason correctly.

    When asked to respond in writing, this writer gets nothing—nothing.

    That is your first indicator that you are the right track.
    They [the Newspaper Organizations] are not a sleep at the wheel and they are not drunk.

    On Normandie Ave. and W. Carson St, Torrance, CA 90501, used to be a Restaurant called Michael’s where Heinz and I met, someone put the owner out of business by driving a car through it [across the street were Otto and Ferdinand Karg who had their business/Next to Councilwoman Joan Milke Flores].

    If you do not put heat on the Newspapers—they will not do anything; and when you do, like I did in 1989, the board-game changes [almost all the executives changed seats].

    Do not expect too much from our Media.

    Sincerely,

    Don Karg

  6. As a totally disabled vet, I receive all my VA healthcare for no charge. Hell, they even pay me travel to go see them. However, I also have Medicare A & B.

    I refuse to have any major work done at the VA. Why? I have been misdiagnosed, and I have little faith or trust in them. I have never had an issue with using Medicare because I usually am able to find or be recommended to a great private doctor.

    Recently, I was diagnosed for needing vascular surgery by the VA. They were willing, and able to set up the surgical consult and book the operating time (at another VA, even further than the 70 miles from my home, where my main care is). I was able to get an appointment with a private doctor, who re ran the tests I had at the VA, and said flat out your tests were misread. He showed me where, in comparing images from the VA and the images he had ordered (which he came in the room to check). Yes, I paid a deductible and a co-pay and didn’t get paid to travel to see him. But, it was sure worth not having unnecessary surgery some 100 miles from my home.

    Until I was declared totally disabled, I had several private insurance plans including BC/BS, Aetna and a few others. Some required referrals, with Medicare, I can just go to a specialist. I don’t feel I get substandard care as a Medicare patient, as most doctors accept Medicare as payment. However, Medicade is a totally different story, as there are many doctors who find the reimbursement to be too little.

    Given the fact there is choice of doctors and hospitals with Medicare and with the VA you are playing a game of chance when seeing one of their care givers, I don’t see how this report compares the VA favorably with Medicare.

    1. Is there a VA hospital with in 40 miles from you. Not a VA clinic. !

      Do you know if your 40 miles from a VA medical center. You can call Choise and be seen by a private doctor.

      I an using Choise for the first time and have learned that if my new doctor needs me to have mri’s ect. They just write a referal and VA authorize the request. You can be seen by a specialist.

      Give Them a call if you want outside help !

      I’m glad I’m away from the VA employees. Their job is to report as many veterans as being disruptive. So they can ban veterans from all VA care. !

      I have a letter from the chief of staff threatening me with banishment from all VA care and they admit they had or have any proof of their allegations. !

      Piece of mind. Is what I want. Knowing that some disgruntled VA employee can’t falsely accuse me if anything. !

      They lie. Lie. Lie !

      1. I am under the understanding that it is 40 miles from any type of va facility. Please clarify? Where did you get your information?

      2. From Choise. I called the Denver Vamc and spoke with the Choise program hand they helped set it up.

        I live to blocks form s VA clinic. Where the employees ate more of a gang than employees who care About the well being of the veteran.

        Denver vamc 1 800 827 1000

  7. Jimbo. Your not alone in your thinking about sending our children or grandchildren into harm’s way.

    Our citizens are not stupid and see through the deceptions the VA are using and word of mouth is very strong !

    Anytime. I run into active duty or kids joining. I tell them the truth about the VA and how they will do unlawful things against veterans. In order to deny them of their disability. !

    I tell them to send home any and all paperwork and treatment records or they will be left to the wolf’s !

    Even after a veteran proves their case. The VBA. Will start the process to get those disabilities better or keep sending the veterans to comp and pension examinations. Until they find one of their lackies to take it away. !

    How many veterans have been sent letters. Telling the family that their family member died and their benefits will be stopped. !

    And the veteran sitting next to them talking. !

    The VBA. Must be held accountable for their treason towards veterans. Many should he in jail for falsifying federal documents. !

    For shreading and throwing box full of veterans records in some basement or as they did in the 70’s lie about veterans record’s being destroyed in a fire. !

    They. Need jail time or nothing will ever change.

    1. If any other group,of people that fall into groups, like teens, whites, blacks, hispanic, asian, elderly, disabled, Jewish, Catholic, or Muslim, were treated with a complete disregard for Due Process, here would indeed be people imprisoned. This is banned by our sacred Constitution.

      Except for veterans. We make up the special group, that Due Process does not cover. We are worth less than the others judging by Americas continued inaction to come to our aid. Of all the groups listed our group is unique inmone respect; each soul in our group took an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution.

      DBC is the reward. Only for veterans. Is this bass akwards, or what?

      1. When Trump gets into office. I would like every veteran whom has been reported to the disruptive committee to write to President Trump or to me and I will collect your letters and bound them into s book and give it to him. !

        When just one veteran speaks out about the illegal disruptive committee. Seems no one listens. !
        If we speak as one voice. All of us would see results. !

        I hope anyway. !

        I know this bugs you as much as it does me and many other’s. !

        Our time is coming. !

        The employees are disrupting our right to live free and impeads our right to happiness and to live without fear of the Hitler spin off’s !

  8. If you don’t have or can’t afford any other insurance it may be acceptable, but I have insurance and the VA care system leaves a lot to desire.

  9. There is an action that only we as vets could do, though it would take a technical type. Vets can access online medical record. I can copy and paste and often have to my media friends who have reported embarassment beyond belief of VHA. I just got news that the Chairman of Roseburg DBC who was outed for misconduct of DBC Roseburg has “retired” and the entry into my own medical record requiring all commmunication be routed through the DBC not be honored.

    Yep, after the paper outed them they removed the flag, then put a non flag, flag into my record requiring all coms be routed to DBC irregardless of content.

    If a tech thpe set up a database that allowed vets to copy and paste their med records sans personally identifiable information like name then a database that grows with actual medical record entries from VHA staff would do two things

    1) it would short circuit malpractice protections of VA by exposing actual practices to public scrutiny. Names of doctors would not be redacted from the entries and could be searched by name. The database would be a permanent growing VHAWiki with actual med record entries, all of which expose the names of the staff and what they do.

    2) it would paint an accurate picture for public scrutiny. VHA hides behind the Privacy Act, and very thick federal walls. The entry requiring all coms be routed through the DBC for me alone would be my first submission. Perhaps RAND could determine how many health care hours are spent analysing my messages hoping for ANYTHING they can tag as a threat?

    Vets could do this by leveraging their access to online med records we enjoy. I suggest using this tool. VA would take active measures to stop it. If I a act like I am paranoid of VA, it is because I am.

    1. Your. Not paranoid. The employees will and do report veterans as being disruptive and they just have to say it is so and the veterans pay the price. !

      Really. What good does it do. It’s not treatment. There is no benefit to the veterans only to the employees making the false allegations. !

      Many. Many veterans are having their lives destroyed and being labled. !

      In the medical profession. One of the first things they teach everyone. Is going to see a doctor us stressful for the patient and they are afraid of what their going to be told.

      Compassion. Is stressed. ! Not at the VA. You shoe any signs of being upset. They react as if your out of control. !

      Your not out of control. Your upset and scared. !

      Again. This disruptive committee is illegal and violates every civil and constitutional right. Every other citizen receives. !

  10. How many secret waiting lists are there in the private sector? go ask Barry Coates family if his wait was like a ride at Disney land like your director says it is. VA hospitals are nothing but a terrorist target now. I never feel safe while at one. End the VA and put everyone on a medicare or tricare type system. Why do we change our soldiers meds to cheaper formulary drugs once they enter VA care? what kind of message does this send to a vet? oh your not active duty anymore? Takes these cheaper drugs we buy in bulk from companies our senior directors used to work for.Because the va is the largest purchaser of drugs in the world. Be careful though how you rock the boat the VA might get J. Thomas Burch, a lawyer to look into you. Im sure thats what he does when he is not running a vet charity that took in $29million in donations and only gave %2 of it to vets. I wish the FBI investigated the VA scandals with 1/10th of the amount resources,energy and publicity they put into the “Email scandal” What a bunch of disrespect for the thousands of vets who died while in your secret lists. The VA is nothing but a Dog and pony show ran by a bunch of pogs. I loved my time in the Infantry,the ranges the training, the bond and both combat deployments, but due to my treatment by the VA I wont be advising my kids to enter any type of military service.P.S. By the way thank the DoD for my purple heart I got it in the mail in a “timely fashion.”

    1. I am older. I told my kids if they ever thought enlisting they would be finding themselves in a rented canoe headed for canada.

      What a discusting mess this is. The “list” reminds me of a bad call in baseball, if you complain that you got screwed you get tossed out of the game. The va version of tossing you out is much more serious and you dont get the benefit of the instant replay.

      I fired the va last year for my phyc care, they are worthless non english speaking imported QUACKS. Bottom of the barrel. I damn near died at their hands.

      I have been off meds for PTSD for a year and now I have no one who wants to be around me. No one, family included.

      1. Try getting on Choise. Maybe they can get you someone to precrible the right medication.

        Many veterans self medicate. Using alcohol and that and PTSD or other mental conditions do not mix. !

        You are going to have to get someone to care for you or you will die of loneliness. !

        PTSD and TBI without treatment can lead people down a path. They should not go down.

        The VA in Topeka Kansas had a very good PTSD program and the people actually cared and showed it.

        Don’t loose your family. Be prepared once you complete the program and your medication fixed. Because as they told me. Now that your not drinking. Your going to think most everyone else is crazy and for the most part their right. !

        The VA does not like veterans who they can’t control. As the veterans have their facilities back and know when the wool is being pulled over their eyes.

        Don’t let them win. They count on veterans giving up and do something stupid. Just So they can keep your disability monies. !

        Anyone Who wants to quit drinking. Can take a medication called neltrexon and it takes away all the cravings. Been sober for 10 year’s. But the VA does not like veterans that succeed. !

      2. Very good. But it sounds as if you still need help. Don’t loose your family. Don’t let the VA win. !

        The Choise is yours and only yours.

        I have 14 grandchildren and I want to stay alive as long as possible. Because I want to make sure while I’m alive they have what they need. $$$$$ And Me !

        I refuse to let the VA win. ! Some of them are sick in the head. But refuse to admit it.

        Good luck

  11. Good coverage of this Ben. Given the headlines you found, this whole thing appears to be a planned operation.
    VA faces repeated bad coverage in the press. Nothing is slowing it down, not even help from veterans organizations like the Legions Save Our Systems theater.
    Even Blue Ribbon commissions stacked with hacks whining about criticism and jeapordizing unnamed “reforms” is helping.
    The plan then is to pitch taxpayer dollars to a reliable organization to produce a carefully prepared report after controlling the data they can look at.
    Once the report is produced, have media hacks ready with statements and talking points and VOILA! The VA look like saints just in time to point to the RAND study when asking Congress for more money.
    Question I have now is what research did the VA not find in order to fund this bullshit press operation?

  12. How about this study? Of all the healthcare professionals in North America, how many have insisted their patients be escorted by police to access care?

    Let us pretend for a minute that animosity of the treating staff towards the patients is a determining factor in treatment outcome. Let us assume that any doctor who fears and loathes their patients enough to have them tailed by cops fall into the “not so good” healh care catagory.

    Doctor and treating staff that did not subject ttheir patients to such humiliation and intimidation by federal agents would fall into the “good” health care category.

    When VHA facilities and staff start acting like villians in Shawshank Redemption towards their charges, then I would say it may be time for new data. Let us go behind the walls of Shawshank and find the inmates that are happy. Lets find the warden and see if he is corrupt. Let us check the walls and look for tunnels of escape.

    Or better yet, Mr. President, tear down these walls.

  13. Great information, but I don’t agree with Ben’s characterization of Medicare as private sector insurance. I think it should be pointed out that comparing one government program to another doesn’t really give an accurate picture of how VA care would compare to private insurers like BC/BS, United Healthcare, etc.

    This is a minor point in light of the situation, though. The echo chamber not only exists for this administration, one major administration official, Ben Rhodes (deputy national security adviser), has actually bragged about creating it.

    As the tagline from the X-Files says, “The truth is out there.” Ben (Krause, not Rhodes) has proven to be great at finding it. The problem is that he’s outgunned by the leftists in the media who report what this administration wants them to rather than investigating the story.

    I try to get the real story to as many people as I can. I share many of Ben’s stories on social media and I also have a blog that has just a few followers (but is growing). The problem, though. isn’t just making people aware of the truth about the VA; we also need to make people give a damn. People in this country are completely apathetic about issues that don’t affect themselves or their family and close friends.

    1. @Stephen, the delineation between the two types of private sector care (Medicare vs Private Insurance) is what I was trying to explain in the article. The drive-by journalists failed to recognize what RAND was truly focusing on but then conveyed to readers that VA care is better than the care received in the Private Sector, which is not accurate. Does that clear up my position? I went back and added some explanations in the middle to hopefully drive that point home better.

      The RAND study mainly compared VA care to Medicare but the titles of articles citing the study, and the study itself, mention private sector care or non-VA care. So readers walk away believing VA care may be the same as Mayo care or Cleveland Clinic care when really the study was looking mainly at Medicare insurance and the care those patients get vs VA care. And let’s be honest, the care Medicare insurance pays for is not of the same caliber as that received by patients using private insurance including Blue Cross Blue Shield.

    2. Stephan

      You hit a point often seen online but I must relate that it is an impossible task. “We also need to make people give a damn.” is an impossible task my friend. Any task that has the intended goal of changing any other humans opinions or thoughts is just faeiry dust really.

      Win their hearts and win their minds does not work. It never did. I have noticed however that simple action moves people to,my cause more than forty of these long winded posts I do. Just walking to coffee a few miles away every single day using my crutches has repeatedly earned me comments and encouragement from strangers who say they are inspired. I’m just walking to coffee, and they get inspired.

      I think giving up, or divorcing the part of me that is concerned about what others may be thinking somehow manifests as courage to others. For my part I think its best to keep walking, keep my chin level with the horizon, and keep good tips on my crutches.

      What others think or believe is no concern of mine because I have zero control over it. …or my bladder after coffee, but that is a matter between me and the bushes and just how fast I can go until the next privy.

  14. Don’t know what VA these people have been going to. Sure not the same one I go to and have been going to since 1993.

    Oh, yes, there are doctors and nurses who are worthless and I have had my run ins with them, but I did not sit on the sidelines and just stop using the VA. Because, before I started using the VA I remember the private hospitals, there cost, the laying in a bed and care that was substandard. So, you can say all you want to about how bad things are with the VA, but realize those private hospitals are there to do one thing, make money.

    A believer in the VA.

    1. Give. Them time some employee somewhere will change your tune. !

      Really. 20 something veterans killing themselves. Thousands being reported as being disruptive. !

      It’s just a matter of time. !

      And some veterans don’t have time.

      Open up you eye’s and ears and really look close at what you see and hear. !

      And then say something to correct it. See where that gets you. !

      Thousands of veterans and citizens and our VA committee in Washington can’t be making all this up. !

      Wouldn’t. You like all veterans get the same care. You say you are getting.?

    2. Darrel,
      With all due respect you are at the same time completely correct and irrelevant in at least one your implications. Much like a RAND study my friend lolz. You correctly point out that private hospitals exist for the financial benefit of the workers there. RAND analysis would indicate that since money is seen changing hands at private hospitals that the stress of that transaction detracts from the overall experience.

      Since you do not actually SEE the money being traded for healthcare at VA, RAND analysis would conclude it is a better deal, but only for the test group that never ever looked at their tax statements….

      Do you honestly believe, my friend, that VA staff would show up if there wasnt any money in it? And if you break down and giggle trying to claim this then you lose just on that alone! RAND does not tabulate giggling.

  15. I quit seeking care at the VA after too many visits where arrogant nurses and doctors dismissed my concerns. After my being insistent that they care for me, in a curt military manner we’re used to, I got my record flagged. I came to discover that the psych nurse used our personal conversations to get me flagged.

    Now I’d like to say that the VA is screwed up where it comes to care, but after leaving the VA I sought out a private endocrinologist, and he was nearly as bad as the endocrinologist I had at the VA…and I had to pay $180 copay for a 15 minute appointment.

    Good medical care, where I live in Arizona, is at a premium, but going to the VA you’re assured to be treated badly by a lousy nurse that thinks it’s a doctor.

    1. That blatant disregard for a patient’s concerns certainly exists in the private medical sector as well, as I just came back from an appointment and the medical center I go to states that their Psych Dept. uses “Evidence-Based Medicine”, and reasoning for taking people off medications that have actually worked for PTSD….regardless if it’s actually HELPING…it’s ALL about Big Pharma pushing the next expensive drug, not patients. I walked out of an appointment today mad as hell and made an appointment with my primary Dr., whom even questioned what they were doing and guess what? My Primary M.D. teaches Pharmacology at the University Medical School. Psych. Dept. is fueled by the VA’s shitty reports and is constantly supplying the VA with yet more foreign M.D.’s that think this way. Pulled myself entirely out of that care as I have a lot of experience since 1995 under my belt with medication therapies and NONE of that is even taken into consideration these days…it’s ALL about billable hours and pushing newest drugs. None of these crazy methods were in-place until Obamacare came into existence.
      Happy with all my other Specialists and Primary Dr., but Psych Care has gone entirely down the toilet (or way of the VA).

      I should add that the consistency of care is out the window when you have a constant revolving door of Resident M.D.’s that as soon as their residency is over…they go to the VA to work because of banker’s hours, pay, benefits, and….no, absolutely NO liabilities or malpractice to worry about. We need to gut this beast.

      Rant Out.

      1. What I was trying to convey is, the private sector medical schools are not exactly feeding the VA Meat Grinder the best prime rib of their classes. Fast Food Medicine feeding a huge gap in Psych care at the VA but also the private sector itself was woefully and still is, sparse in Psych Care that accepts Medicare even…but they SURE gobble-up that State Medicaid $$$$ that’s guaranteed under Obamacare…and the real sham is, Political Refugees here in the USA and still growing, receive MUCH better care than the VA dishes out.

        Highly recommend Cognitive Therapy over medication crap and learn coping tools and recognizing ‘triggers’ for anxiety/PTSD. Healthier for you as well. You may never be so-called ‘normal’ but at least have clarity.

        That RAND study must not have taken into consideration a Vet or two setting themselves on fire in front of VHA’s because of their lack of or crap of care.

      2. I’m finding out the hard way that civilian care is and can be as negative and incompetent as VA styled care. What a mess and I guess it’s not only terrible in Indiana and these far left winging college towns where we deal with attitudes and social ills with so-called professionals and others who just don’t care. While the stupid paper-work piles up and distractions and foolishness is plenty. God it makes me sick knowing, hearing, that so many others out there are going through the same crap as me. This nation is in deep trouble.

        My aunt who was an RN with several specialties retired early just to get away from what she called “short staffed, incompetent uncaring leading the incompetent uncaring, socialist styled, greedy corporate, insurance ruining (HMOs then) health care. Colleges pushing out doctors and nurses who should never be in that position or profession for the wrong reasons.’ Close enough.

        Since her days or the days back when doctors came to the house for house calls I have seen nothing but decline in health care full circle. Plenty of greed, dis concern, etc. Nothing like we see on TV or those phony reality programs playing the propaganda and lies game. Reality is not found or seen on TV or out of Hollywood or the news.

        She is one of them that showed me, along with other means, to never trust “research,” ‘studies,” “polls,” “academics,” or the like. It’s more about propaganda and swaying the thoughts, actions, and beliefs of the sheep. Just like today instead of standing up for patients health care workers and staff know to be quiet and to allow for all the medical incompetence and killer mistakes. Especially today when so many are killed off by hospitals, MDs, staff, etc. Go the hospital and get MRSA or some other disease when patients are trying to get well, not get worse off. But polls and studies will show it’s rare and we should all just sing Kumbaya, watch the good life on TV, and suffer.

    2. Vic. I have said it from the start. The VA Is using the disruptive committee to punish veterans at will. !

      It’s called retaliation by disgruntled VA employees and until we have someone fight for us. The VA will continue to hurt veterans using this illegal committee.

      We seen it With crack. No one listened until it effected the kids of the rich and then they took action. !

      We are going to have to wait for someone. Who has clout to be accused of disruptive behavior. Before any action is taken. Until then the employees will continue to make false allegations against veterans.

      Where else can anyone accuse and then act as the judge. Jury and prosecutor. !

      Where the accused Has no way of defending themselves against false allegations.

      No where. They have stripped veterans of due process and have taken any and all civil and constitutional and Bill of right’s. !

      The VA has and is very adversarial against veterans and the mistreatment has caused many veterans to committ suicide or stop going to the VA for care because of this.

      They need to stop these people. !

      They need to also do a satisfaction survey on show veterans are being treated by the regional office. On their claims!

      Every time they deny a veteran of their deserved disability. They are taking away the care they need. !

      Take. Ptsd if your not service connected on writing. The veterans are told your not eligible for care. As you have to be service connected. !

      The VBA. Needs to be brought front and center. They have lied to veterans and our elected officials about now they deny veterans disability claims.

      I blame people like Diana rubins and graves. ! They are the type of employees who will deny veterans of their right ful disability. Just to get a bonous. !

      What have you done to try and have your name cleared. Tell us you experience dealing with the disruptive committee hand who was the employee. A veteran.?

  16. Ben, you mentio, “…Controlled messages like these…” “…until the next war!”
    Well, it seems we’re in the “next war!” It’s a war like nothing we’ve seen before. Bin Laden said, quote; “Fight the Americans like the Vietnamese did!”
    Remember that war? Do y’all remember how we distinguished who the enemy was? Hard, wasn’t it!

    This ‘alleged study’ by RAND, is nothing new. A complete waste of taxpayers monies, AGAIN, to receive the desired outcome.
    RAND did nothing more than tell the American Citizen what they wanted wanted the American Citizen to know. Which were lies! Just as almost all the major “Main Stream Media’s” have been doing for quite some time.

    Have y’all noticed the “opinions of those so-called journalists” covering the Republican Convention the past few days?
    In my opinion, not one has said anything positive about the “coming together” of the Republicans!
    Last night, Speaker Paul Ryan slammed Obama. He should have been doing that a long time ago! Instead of ‘caving’ into each and every one of Obama’s “wants”. He should have said “NO” very loudly. He needs to regain trust in the eyes of America! He’s definitely lost my respect, and/or trust, for him!

    Ben, might I suggest you, and “KARE 11”, contact the “Trump Team” and let them know about this false study?! Your expertise and willingness to report and uncover the truth will possibly have more weight, sadly, than the average veteran.

    That’s my thoughts!

  17. I’m so glad that someone FINALLY came forward and said it! I’ve been saying this for years – that RAND is a bought and paid for shill for the VA propaganda machine and that the general public (AND Congress) are being lied to; with the very deliberate help of the media!

    The VA’s latest stunt is the new “20 a day” suicide report, done by (you guessed it!) RAND! However, as with ANY data coming out of the VA; one must “remember the source”. The VA is STILL using only 21 states reporting data ~ which leads to the extended math of 50 suicides a day!

    Yet again, the media laps it up with relish and enables the VA to continue its path of destruction and mayhem; at the expense of veterans health and the taxpayers dime!

    1. You are right that RAND has done this for years, but I believe Congress has done nothing about this scam because RAND provides a convenient holding tank for their supporters if they can’t get a flunky job elsewhere in government.

  18. I’m so damn mad about what happened to me the second time to be a almost killed me with a drug called requip for restless leg I can’t even say I got A5 car accident passed out and it said it took another doctor at a different hospital tell me what was wrong with me there for restless leg the given requip which can kill you I’m so mad I don’t know what to say this but I hate the VA and I’m alldone with them a11 lawsuit against them for 131000 big deal now I’m going after the drug company and the VA and I’m not going to the VA doctors anymore except for my prescription medicine for real Hospital I wish I could like the VA but they’re just going to kill me if I keep going therethat’s all I have to say

    1. I concur. I am really mad myself when I found out that the psychiatric drugs are nothing chemical and biological warfare used against veterans and the civilian population as well. I have found out that 1 out of 9 people are on these dangerous drugs. Is it no wonder why society is in such disarray? I went and filed a complaint on-line with the IG Office of Veterans Affairs and explained to them that this is a genocide of epic proportions and these psychiatrists should stop what they are doing or they could be prosecuted under Title 18, U. S. Code, subsection 1091 for Genocide. I recommend that veterans look that law up. There are no time limits or statute of limitations under the this Federal Statute to file a civil suit.

Comments are closed.