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Dellinger said the long wait for veterans to get medical care is an "ongoing problem" that President Obama must address personally: "We need the White House, the president to come forward. He needs to make a statement, to show the employees of VA that this needs to change, now. One death is tragic, but when you hide it, that's unforgivable." It's been three weeks since CNN reported that at least 40 U.S. veterans died waiting for appointments at the Phoenix Veterans Affairs Health Care system, many of whom were placed on a secret list to hide the long waiting times. And over the weekend, the Dayton Daily News reported that the government has paid out more than $34 million to numerous veterans who claimed delays in treatment.
President Obama has not talked about the scandal, but he did send one of his top advisers to speak for him: The president is madder than hell, and Ive got the scars to prove it, given the briefings Ive given the president, White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough told CBS News White House Correspondent Major Garrett. The interview aired Sunday on Face the Nation. Nobody is more outraged about this problem, right now, Major, than the president of the United States, McDonough added.
Dellinger said the recent news reports about long waiting times and veterans' deaths point to "egregious mismanagement" of the VA. He said Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki should display the same leadership at the VA that he showed in the military. "And it just hasn't happened. The accountability has not been there," Dellinger said. Dellinger said "cultural change is necessary" at the VA, and he specifically complained about VA employees getting bonuses "just for doing their job." He has called for Shinseki's resignation, citing "poor oversight and failed leadership."
President Obama, in his weekly radio address on Saturday, talked about going around Congress to get things done, but he said nothing about veterans. Speaking for Republicans, however, Sen. John McCain in his Saturday radio address urged Congress to give VA administrators "greater flexibility to hire and fire those charge with caring for our veterans." McCain also said veterans "have earned the right to choose where and when they get their medical care." McCain said the way the nation cares for veterans "is the most important test of a nation's character. The U.S. is currently "failing that test," he added. "We must do better tomorrow -- much better."
American Legion: 'We Need the White House, the President to Come Forward' | CNS News
Nobody is more outraged about this problem right now than Obama, McDonough said in an interview broadcast today on CBSs Face the Nation program. And he will continue to press, as it relates to this question of timely access to care, until it is fixed. Veterans Affairs Inspector General Richard J. Griffin told a Senate committee last week he is investigating allegations that as many as 40 veterans died while awaiting care at a Phoenix hospital. He is trying to determine if the deaths were related to the delays and whether the hospitals electronic wait list purposely omitted some names.
The American Legion and some congressional Republicans have been calling for the resignation of Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki since CNN first ran a report last month about the deaths and wait times at the Phoenix hospital. We need the White House, the president, to come forward, Daniel Dellinger, national commander of the American Legion, told CBS. He needs to make a statement, to show the employees of the VA that this needs to change now. The Veterans Health Administration operates the largest health-care system in the U.S., serving about 8.8 million patients annually at more than 1,700 hospitals, clinics and other facilities, according to the departments website.
Wait Times
They were advertising waiting times of 30 to 55 days, when in fact they were more like six to seven months, said Sam Foote, a retired doctor who worked at a VA facility in Phoenix and disclosed some of the problems. We never said that they died because of this, Foote said on Fox News Sunday today. We just made the point that at least 40 veterans, we felt, had died while waiting for care and these needed to be reviewed. Robert Petzel, the VA undersecretary for health, resigned last week, though he had been scheduled to retire sometime this year. Obama assigned Deputy Chief of Staff Rob Nabors to work on a review of patient-safety rules, the Associated Press reported. This has gone from incompetence and a backlog to something criminal, said Representative Adam Kinzinger, an Illinois Republican and Iraq war veteran who spoke on NBCs Meet the Press program today. I think its time for Shinseki to resign.
Inspiring Change
McDonough was asked on CBS whether Shinseki, a retired four-star Army general, retains Obamas confidence. The president will continue to demand that he and all of us who work for him continue to fix these things until they are functioning the way that our veterans believe they should, McDonough said in the interview, which was recorded May 16 and aired today. Ryan Gallucci, deputy director for national legislative service at the Veterans of Foreign Wars, said his organization has been screaming about this for years, about wait times. We hope that the attention thats really come to this in the last couple of weeks will finally inspire significant change, Gallucci said on Fox.
Obama Outraged by Veterans Hospitals Conduct, Aide Says - Bloomberg
And give every veteran some type of medical card that must be accepted at any major facility. A card that guarantees reimbursement for services rendered.
This fiasco is what we have to look forward to as more & more people are forced into obamacare.
Yep, and I said so a few days ago. I've worked in one and seen them in action. There are good VA hospitals and good VA doctors but the system is typical government. Bloated beyond belief, laden with bureaucracy and red tape and managed by dipsticks that are in it for the security and bennies.
Yep, and I said so a few days ago. I've worked in one and seen them in action. There are good VA hospitals and good VA doctors but the system is typical government. Bloated beyond belief, laden with bureaucracy and red tape and managed by dipsticks that are in it for the security and bennies.
Before my grandfather died, a ww2 vet, I remember my grandmother bitching to no end about the troubles they had getting him adaquate care at the VA in Topeka Ks.
We know the VA issued orders to doctors that they should postpone treatment for certain patients and we know some government workers received bonuses for saving money. Put two and two together and freaking fire the people responsible including the Obama administration.
Universal Single-Payer and this all goes away..
The VA is one of FIVE (5) health care payment systems in this country:
1. VA
2. Medicare
3. Medicaid
4. Group/Individual health
5. Indigent
That is, to put it as delicately as possible, fucking stupid.
Both parties are responsible for this absurdity.
Universal Single-Payer and this all goes away..
The VA is one of FIVE (5) health care payment systems in this country:
1. VA
2. Medicare
3. Medicaid
4. Group/Individual health
5. Indigent
That is, to put it as delicately as possible, fucking stupid.
Both parties are responsible for this absurdity.
Yeppers.A healthier populace is good economics.
This current system, ACA or not, is a fucking disgrace.
I'm not sure about totaling doing away with the VA, but I think most of the healthcare services could be provided near home. Let vets go to private health care providers in their community. I have a good friend that goes to the VA hospital and clinic often. He drives over 25 miles, usually he sees a different doctor every time he goes. He could get the same if not better care two blocks from his house and the claims could be handled by Medicare.Yep, and I said so a few days ago. I've worked in one and seen them in action. There are good VA hospitals and good VA doctors but the system is typical government. Bloated beyond belief, laden with bureaucracy and red tape and managed by dipsticks that are in it for the security and bennies.
Before my grandfather died, a ww2 vet, I remember my grandmother bitching to no end about the troubles they had getting him adaquate care at the VA in Topeka Ks.
There are a few exceptions but most health problems treated by the VA can be handle by private physicians and hospitals. There are 14,000 doctors that work for the VA and almost a million doctors in private practice so I don't see how it would create any shortage in health care. Most PTSD counseling is contracted out to private practice professionals.I agree but one point. Wouldn't that overburden the already overburdened system? I mean A LOT of these vets especially ones who have seen combat have PTSD and feel more comfortable around other vets and the VA I would assume have specialized equipment and help for these vets. Something needs done either way.
and give every veteran some type of medical card that must be accepted at any major facility. A card that guarantees reimbursement for services rendered.
This fiasco is what we have to look forward to as more & more people are forced into obamacare.
and give every veteran some type of medical card that must be accepted at any major facility. A card that guarantees reimbursement for services rendered.
This fiasco is what we have to look forward to as more & more people are forced into obamacare.
you are the stupidest fuck on this forum. More tomorrow. After you go whining to the mods.
We know the VA issued orders to doctors that they should postpone treatment for certain patients and we know some government workers received bonuses for saving money. Put two and two together and freaking fire the people responsible including the Obama administration.
