Let’s just take the eighty billion that the VA gets...shut down the operation...and use the funding to buy each qualified vet a GS-health insurance policy. The rest of the stuff the VA does is null and worthless. We could probably save money and hassle by letting the vets use local medical care of a normal variety. If they aren’t happy...they can shop around to find another doctor or clinic. I don’t see GS workers grumbling about their packaged care.
Although I'm a veteran I will never get the benefits I thought I would, as most services are now means tested. If the system were to be reformed, I suggest that the laws change so that veterans will never receive less service than was available when they served. Guys like me never considered that the benefits we were promised could ever be reduced or diluted. Back then, we had a blind faith in our government. Now, to anything the government says, I would say, "Oh, yeah? Prove it."
I agree, and the many complications are not insurmountable (e.g., a “doctor” shortage, since many VA doctors would not be employable in the private sector, where liability lawsuits happen).
Assuming your $80 billion figure is accurate, next step would be to estimate how many veterans there are now, and projections into the future, to derive how much insurance that would buy.