‘Radical Changes’ Likely for VA?

Newly appointed Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Anthony Principi "inherits" a health care system where patients often "wait months" for appointments, doctors receive inadequate compensation and "unsupervised" residents treat many patients -- but some VA officials predict "radical changes," the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. "Many veterans are skeptical of the VA's ability to provide them with quality health care," Principi said during a recent confirmation hearing. Health care experts have outlined several plans during the past decade to "reshape" the VA health system, such as allowing veterans hospitals to care for civilian patients or closing veterans hospitals and using the savings to pay for veterans' care in private facilities. In 1995, two VA researchers presented a proposal to eliminate all services except mental health and drug treatment care and provide eligible veterans with "something akin to a Medicare card" that would allow them to receive additional services at other facilities. "It will cost the government way less money to do that than to throw the money into an archaic VA system that's virtually crumbling before your eyes -- both the buildings and the quality of medicine practiced there," Arthur Bernklau, executive director of Veterans for Constitutional Law, a "maverick" veterans group, said. Dr. Eugene Tinelli, a psychiatrist at the Syracuse VA Medical Center agreed, arguing, "Give vets the option, and they would far prefer to be seen non-VA. I encourage a lot of vets if they're eligible for Medicare to apply for it." According to a survey of veterans in the Southwest, most would prefer treatment with other veterans for mental health care, substance abuse disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder, Tinelli said, adding however that they "would rather go elsewhere" for other services (Mazzolini, Cleveland Plain Dealer, 1/31).