Best Care Anywhere: Why VA Health Care is Better Than Yours

Not only can the government provide an excellent health care program, they’re already doing it, and better than any other private insurer.

Phillip Longman was tasked by Fortune magazine to find the most exemplary provider of health care in America. None of the government health programs were even on his radar, assuming that couldn’t possibly compete. But his research led him to one unavoidable conclusion: The American VA health care system is the best source of care in this country.

He’s written a whole book about the experience and his research but here’s a highlight:

-RAND Corporation published a study finding that our VA health care system was the highest ranked in quality, cost-effectiveness, and customer satisfaction along with 294 other qualities reviewed.

The VA system is also unique from private insurers because of its emphasis on prevention over prescription: meaning that it’s in their system’s best interest to catch and cure things early, as simply getting treated when you have a problem leads to the extremely high health care costs our current private system suffers from. As a result, the VA system also has seen its cost per patient go down significantly as private insurance plan costs per patient have risen sharply.

The best part of all of this is that the system is scalable. There apparently was some push back when the VA was considering covering family members (of the military for example) thinking that it would over burden the system. But now it’s generally accepted that doing so is a good move and the system is scaling fine.

This is a prime example of a good government-run health care program and it’s mechanics can provide the details we need to create the vehicle for delivery of a country-wide health care option.

Bill Kristol admits that the American government can provide a great health care system (that’s better than anything in the private sector), and does so with our troops.

Well thank God. The House AND the Senate both have versions of health care reform plans for implementing a public option. I’m not calling this over or anything but we’re a little closer to extending a life preserver to so many suffering Americans. I look forward to the day we all understand that America is only successful when we bear each others burdens in the name of unity and charity and are not completely ruled by the tyranny of a private system that profits by denying coverage.

Before the NHS was implemented there was a sharp division and many who fought vehemently against it. Now the overwhelming majority of British people think, despite some imperfections, it was for the better and that the government can be of benefit with health care and not a burden.

And it appears that the burden of paying for this new option, as outlined in these initial plans , is very light. You’d have to be an imbecile to think that an additional tax of $1,500 to a family making $500,000/yr. was anything more than a drop in the bucket. The same for a sum of $9,000 for households making $1M or more per year. The brunt of this plan will force only the top 1.2% of wealthy America to bear it. The cost can’t be borne upon the backs of our poor and middle classes and it looks like we’re avoiding that.

Businesses will adapt and the economy will adjust to any increased costs for employers, and small companies would largely be exempt from any penalties. With some rational and logical approaches to problem solving we can make this a reality. Perhaps our life expectancy rates will start to go back up again, what a novel idea: to improve the health of citizens over time instead of leaving them to languish in the hands of corporate fat cats who have no incentive to help those in the most need.