The true victim of the VA hospital scandal.

[Perd Hapley]

It's Obama, of course. The Grey Lady exposes how the right wing will even use our veterans' hospitals to attack our fine, young president. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/21/us/obama-faces-new-test-in-mismanagement-at-veterans-hospitals.html?hp

Growing allegations of mismanagement at veterans hospitals across the country are threatening to engulf President Obama in another scandal....Mr. Obama has once again found himself exposed to political danger by a bureaucracy that seems out of his immediate control....Aides said he learned of the specific allegations in news reports.

Mr. [John] Stewart on Monday lashed out at Mr. Obama and his top officials for not doing enough to fix the problems.

 

[SADShooter]

15-minute Youtube Emotional Incontinent: "Leave Barack ALONE!!!"

(Edited to add semi-serious reply.)

The VA failures have been chronic and "bipartisan" for decades. However, where I see the distinction is twofold. First, in prior administrations traditional, non-credible lip service was paid to the notion of fixing the problems, vs. the self-styled savior's speech in 2009 in which he baldly asserted that resources, planning and leadership would be brought to bear to make things work. Second is that, supporters' bleating about "fake scandals" notwithstanding", the sheer number of simultaneous "fake scandals" and "political witch-hunts" and their parallel natures begins to topple the corinthian columns of credulous mass-hysteria.

[Perd Hapley]

Oh, I forgot. This is the headline from their front page.

V.A.’s Failures Hold Dangers for Obama, Long a Critic

http://www.nytimes.com/?action=click&contentCollection=U.S.&region=TopBar&module=HomePage-Title&pgtype=article


I guess I missed the NYT headline about how Abu Graib held dangers for George W. Bush. 

[Tallpine]

Didn't Harry Truman say something about heat and kitchens 

 

[vaskidmark]

Didn't Harry Truman say something about heat and kitchens 

 

But Obama was never even near the kitchen.  As reported, he learned of the "scandalous" scandals from news reports.

See what happens when a guy blows off a Cabinet meeting to go play a round or two of golf?  With nobody in charge there to tell the Secretaries to do their jobs it all goes down the tubes.

(what's the emoticon for "You go ahead and guess if I'm being sarcastic or not"?)

stay safe.

[Scout26]

Yep, this was what Mark Steyn talked about today.   

Benghazi - Failure at the POTUS/Sec of State level.  So "It was the Video".
Fast and Furious - Obama may have royally screwed up by invoking Exec Priv.  That one's on the back burner, for now.
IRS - IRS head meets with Obama about every 10 days.  Sen Levin involved, this one may go to POTUS.
VA - A bunch of underlings missed Obama's Speeches that would have cured all the veterans and instead pocketed the money.  "Fire" the guy(s) about to retire and call it over.
There are a couple of others, but these are the big ones.  The question remains, when with the press stop drinking the kool-aid and start doing their jobs?

[Perd Hapley]

The question remains, when with the press stop drinking the kool-aid and start doing their jobs?

[TommyGunn]

Pigs can't fly jets, huh? 

[Phyphor]

Ugh, it's about Obama?

Ok, time to punch out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwck9Oeq8lA

[birdman]

Pigs can't fly jets, huh? 

No, but they can fly helicopters

[roo_ster]

No, but they can fly helicopters

And drive APCs



And some do fly fixed wing.

[RoadKingLarry]

Used to I wouldn't hesitate to suggest a hitch in the military to young folks. If you're smart about it it was a good place to learn a marketable skill/trade and do a little growing up.
The way our government treats service members and vets I no longer consider a worthwhile option.
I also wonder if that isn't part of the desired outcome.

[MillCreek]

http://online.wsj.com/articles/hal-scherz-doctors-war-stories-from-va-hospitals-1401233147?tesla=y&mg=reno64-wsj

An interesting editorial calling for the abolishing of the VA system and for veterans to be given insurance benefits that can be used in the private medical market.  This would work if the insurance benefits made it worthwhile for hospitals and physicians to see the veterans.  If the reimbursement is set too low, as it is for Medicaid, there is not a lot of incentive for the private healthcare system to see more patients that you lose money on.

[RevDisk]

http://online.wsj.com/articles/hal-scherz-doctors-war-stories-from-va-hospitals-1401233147?tesla=y&mg=reno64-wsj

An interesting editorial calling for the abolishing of the VA system and for veterans to be given insurance benefits that can be used in the private medical market.  This would work if the insurance benefits made it worthwhile for hospitals and physicians to see the veterans.  If the reimbursement is set too low, as it is for Medicaid, there is not a lot of incentive for the private healthcare system to see more patients that you lose money on.

Paywalled. Or you can type "hal scherz doctors war stories from va hospitals" into google and get the whole article.

Basically, the article says the VA works just like the DMV. You have a handful of folks who really do care, and a LOT of drones that sit on their fourth point of contact getting paid to convert oxygen to carbon dioxide. The solution proposed in the article is to turn the VA system into Medicare. Which won't happen, because senior brass are quite happy with their quality of service. Veterans wouldn't be happy if they were essentially dumped on Medicare, which is probably exactly what would happen. Medicare doesn't run hospitals, they simply pay the bill. But they don't pay the full bill, they pay only a portion of the full bill and say "Sod off, if you want our money, you take it and like it, or don't accept any of our patents." Unless a medical establishment is a "medicare mill" (high volume, low quality), Medicare will not come close to paying the bills and is not sustainable. MillCreek could provide the exact numbers in detail, I'd bet $20 on it in a heartbeat.

Ignoring the vet dumping (could happen) and brass preferential treatment (which could be retained)?

VA system won't be reformed, because it can't be, because it has union members. It'd be normally VERY hard to fire any civil service employee or union member. Combine the two? Good luck. AFL-CIO, of whom AFGE belongs, will NOT allow VA hospitals to be shut down, even if they were throwing MoH winners into wood chippers.