[TMSuchman]

Both parties are to blame, for allowing this to happen. They need to own it.

As for fixing it, first of all bust the public service unions that have a death grip on the system.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Union health plans are exempt from Obamacare.

[Mustangman]

Blame Bush, blame the Dems, blame whoever you want. The bottom line is a large bloated bureaucracy let a lot of people down. This is why Republicans are against socialized medicine, education, economies, etc etc. Things always tend towards maintaining the health of the bureaucracy rather than the task the bureaucracy was created to handle. The VA thing points this out so clearly, if this doesn't change people's attitudes, nothing will.

[thesearethetimes...]

Sad to say - the VA has been “broken” for a very long time. In the late 70’s I was training as a tech in 4 hospitals, and a VA was one of them. *One was state owned, one private, one county and then the VA.

It was my absolute least favorite rotation. As a child of a career Navy Dad, the “good enuf for gubmint purposes” mindset that was, even then - Everywhere there, infuriated me.

The complete disrespect meted out to those good men/women was appalling, and it does not surprise me that today, many have been left to die.

May God keep watch over them, because their government surely will not.
Tatt

[FlipWilson]

Both parties? I suppose but refresh my recollection about which party advocates a VA type system for all of us? Which Party is it that protects incompetent, malicious public employees from being fired because they are owned by the unions? I mean, even if “he who is responsible for everything that Obama has failed to do” wanted to have “fixed” this what steps could “he who is responsible for everything that Obama has failed to do” have taken? Bring in private competition? Fire some of this non-fireable people?