Veterans are facing structural and healthcare problems in the United States due to the non-professional attitude of medical staff. The budget for their physical and mental health has been increased with the passage of time. However, veterans are still compelled to wait for a longer period in order to get an appointment and care. Privatizing health care for veterans is beneficial as it allows them to easily choose the health provider according to their interest. Now, veterans can get medical assistance from any private clinic to combat their physical and mental health. Privatization can be established as an effective source to ensure better accessibility of veterans to proper healthcare services.
Introduction
In the United States, the situation of medical facilities and health care services for veterans is unsatisfactory. The US government has assigned a significant amount for veterans' health care facilities. However, there are still certain structural and healthcare problems for veterans, especially for Springfield Illinois. Many reports and researchers have found the inadequate behavior and attitude of the medical staff of the veterans' hospital. The veterans are compelling to wait for a longer time period in order to get appointments and care which is troublesome for them. It is overwhelming to know that medical officers are not paying attention to the physical and psychological health of veterans. Majority of the Springfield Illinois’ medical facilities for veterans lack professional treatment. The United States' Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) proposed a solution to this problem by giving an option of privatizing healthcare for veterans who live at a distance of almost 40 miles or more from a Veterans Affairs health care facility. The solution is proposed with the help of trump administration to minimize the suffering of veterans for the long awaited appointment and health care. The health care services through privatization will be more accessible for veterans. Private health care is a possible solution for veterans to avoid the unprofessional attitude and behavior of VA hospital’s medical staff.
Literature Review
Jennifer Steinhauer (2019) emphasizes on privatizing health care services for veterans. According to the author, Trump administration made an effective effort to combat the issue of veterans' health care. Steinhauer illustrates that veterans have to prove that they live at a distance of 30-minute drive or 40 miles from the medical facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Now, veterans can easily access primary care and mental health services in private health care facilities outside the department's system. Steinhauer demonstrates that current law will be helpful for veterans in the rural and high-traffic urban areas as they will not be able to reach the V.A clinics before 30 minutes. Steinhauer argues that veterans can get faster and better care with the help of privatization. It is notable to mention that billions of dollars will be redirected to private care as the privatization of health care for veterans will erode the largest integrated health care system. Steinhauer illustrates that new policy will streamline the access of veterans to health care. Currently, the veterans are facing a wait time of 30 days for an appointment in the medical facilities of VA. However, with the implementation of a new policy, the wait time will be reduced to 20 days or less (Steinhauer).
Katie Ocampo (2018) states that veterans have various choices to get health care services instead of VA clinics. Some veterans are unable to use the VA health care system as the closest VA clinic is geographically inconvenient or they do not qualify for VA care. Veterans can choose to purchase private insurance, participate in various programs for veterans or qualify for Medicaid or Medicare. Ocampo emphasizes that veterans need to enroll themselves in private health insurance plans in order to obtain satisfactory health care services. Privatization of veterans’ health care is beneficial for veterans as it allows them to receive health care through multiple programs and systems. Ocampo suggests that the advocates and payers of veterans must survey the complicated healthcare landscape in order to determine a viable option that can best serve the veterans. Instead of waiting for a longer time period, veterans can get medical assistance from any private clinic to combat their physical and mental health. Ocampo states that the option of private health care allows veterans to seek non-VA system healthcare.
Dean Olsen emphasizes upon the worst condition of veterans in the VA medical facilities of Springfield Illinois. There is a significant shortage of staff due to which veterans are compelled to wait for a longer time in order to get appointments and care. Olsen states that veterans have to wait for more than 30 days for appointments which are associated with the shortage of health practitioners. Olsen concludes that some Springfield-area patients who are compelled to wait for a longer period are given permission to get private health care. Veteran Choice Program has given authorization to veterans to use private doctors (Olsen). By doing so, veterans can obtain better health care services without wasting time for long awaited appointments.
The VA medical facilities of Springfield Illinois are providing unsatisfactory facilities to veterans. These medical facilities are underperforming than their usual capacity. Avik Roy (2016) states that privatization is a possible option for veterans as it provides them with the facilities of potential cost savings. Private medical facilities need to compete in the market, which will ultimately decrease the expenses for veterans. Roy illustrates that a number of VA facilities denied care for veterans in the hour of need. Due to such crucial circumstances, the majority of Americans and veterans raised their voice to get the option of obtaining care from a private hospital and doctors. Roy demonstrates that more than 1,000 veterans participated in a poll by the Concerned Veterans for America. Majority of participants illustrate that they must be given the choice to receive medical care from private doctors and hospitals. Roy illustrates that the employees of the Veterans Health Administration are running multiple private health facilities. They enjoy a vast array of coverage options that are repudiated for veterans. Moreover, Roy determines the argument of antagonists on this severe issue. According to antagonists, veterans must be forbidden to seek health care services from various sources expect VA facilities. Roy illustrates that antagonists are willing to keep the health care services of veterans in a closed system. People who are ideologically committed to believe that private services are not effective than government services may be unwilling to support the idea of privatized health care for veterans. However, the closed system is presenting certain problems for veterans due to which there is an immense need to modify the health care system for veterans. Roy illustrates that traditional VA care is deteriorating with the passage of time, which gives veterans an option to seek private coverage and care.
Quil Lawrence (2019) exemplifies that the VA Mission Act is a big relief for veterans who are facing difficulties to achieve effective health care services in the United States. The author illustrates that President Trump passed the VA Mission Act but he refused to provide any additional stream of funding. The refusal to provide sufficient fund is catastrophic for the whole idea of privatized veterans’ health care. Lawrence demonstrates that there is a major decrease in the long wait times that have long plagued the VA. However, it is noteworthy to mention that privatization of health care for veterans has significantly escalated the number of veterans who are eligible to use a private health care provider (Lawrence). If the veterans want to access the medical services from a private hospital or private doctor, they have to take permission from the VA department. Lawrence illustrates the efficiency of a new policy by saying that "privatization of health care will provide an opportunity for veterans to access a private provider without prior authorization from the VA.” The primary focus of VA Mission Act is to improve the conditions of medical services for veterans in the Springfield Illinois. Lawrence argues that the VA Mission Act makes community care programs more efficient as it helps to expand the health provider network for veterans. The VA medical facilities for veterans failed to provide effective care and services. The VA Mission Act is a much-needed reform to a failed system in order to provide veterans with efficient medical facilities. Yujing Shen et al. states that the privatization of health care services is praised for providing better options to veterans in order to attain health care services without subjecting to notoriously long wait times. Privatizing health care for veterans will also improve the talent-pool available to the Department of Veterans Affairs. According to Yujing Shen et al., private coverage is a better option for veterans as they do not have to time for long in order to get an appointment or medical care. VA enrollees with private insurance coverage are not likely to obtain health care services from VA facilities due to the non-professional attitude and behavior of medical staff (Yujing Shen et al.). David Frank (2019) demonstrates the efficacy of new proposed rules. Frank illustrates that veterans can access effective walk-in services with the help of the privatization of medical care. The author demonstrates that the future of the health care system will lie in the hands of veterans as they are allowed to choose the health care providers that they trust. Frank illustrates that the VA Mission Act will be effective if the resources from existing VA programs will not be diverted. If Trump administration diverts the resources from existing VA programs then the efficiency of the VA Mission Act will decrease.
Proposal
Proper assurance of healthcare services is one of the greatest concerns when it comes to the provision of diverse and mandatory services to veterans. It is utmost crucial to figure out what practical measures can be effective to provide better healthcare services to veterans according to their requirements. It is worthy to indicate that there are different possible solutions that can propose when it comes to adopting useful and practical measures. Appropriate solutions can only infer if there is necessary understanding of actual concerns and problems in case of healthcare of veterans.
The paradigm of private healthcare is considered as the proposed solution to address all the concerns of healthcare services in case of veterans. It is interesting and important to explore how effective the method of private healthcare can be when it comes to the availability of good and comfortable healthcare services for veterans. This form of assessment eventually helps to assess the potential benefits and concerns relevant to this particular idea. It is important to establish the healthcare system in a manner which will be convenient for the veterans to reach actual healthcare requirements. Involvement of the private healthcare system for veterans will be effective for them to receive immediate and suitable primary care and mental health services to ensure their proper alignment with society. Establishment of new access standards of healthcare services for veterans is useful to form of consideration to achieve the desired level of healthcare services. The actual effectiveness of the proposed plan of private healthcare for veterans can only better assess by examining the actual healthcare domain of veterans. It is critical to figure out whether the new plan of private healthcare for veterans is actually effective or characterized as another procedure with no suitable healthcare implications. The possibility of a new plan of private healthcare services for patients can never be ignored. This plan will eventually increase the percentage of those veterans who have easy access to effective healthcare services mostly in forms of primary care and mental healthcare services.
Privatizing of health care for veterans is a potential trend to achieve actual goals of healthcare services for retired military individuals. It is important to consider that there is a prevalence of mixed opinion about the idea of privatizing of healthcare services for veterans. Identification of both the sides of arguments is essential to figure out the actual effectiveness of this new plan. The major contrary argument appeared in case of private healthcare services for veterans appears that it is one compromise healthcare service that is established to attain the desired form of beneficiary veterans. Regardless of the concerns relevant to the idea of private healthcare service for veterans, it also has some major advantages. The major benefit of this proposed plan is that privatization can be established as an effective source to ensure better accessibility of veterans to proper healthcare services. It happens because the domain of beneficiaries will get permission to utilize treatment services from both the options of the VA system and outside the healthcare system for veterans.
Recommendations
Adoption of specific and aligned practical measures are recommended to achieve desired outcomes from the idea of privatization of healthcare services for veterans. It is important to ensure the proper intervention of main stakeholder, veterans to gain maximum benefits from the new proposed plan. Quality of healthcare services should never be compromised at any cost when it comes to the provision of good healthcare services to veterans. Proper allocation of resources is also essential to meet the actual goals of the proposed plan of private healthcare services system for veterans. Application of standard services of healthcare is mandatory to properly align veterans with the mainstream lifestyle prevails in society.
Works Cited
Frank, David. "Veterans May Have Easier Access To Private Health Care." AARP. N. p., 2019. Web. Retrieved from https://www.aarp.org/home-family/voices/veterans/info-2019/private-health-care-access.html
Franklin, Ross D. “Should the Veterans Health Care System Be Privatized?” The New York Times, 2016.
Lawrence, Quil. “VA Expands Vet’s Access To Private Care But Gives No Plan To Pay For It.” NPR, 2019.
Ocampo, Katie. “Healthcare Options for America’s Veterans.” Americanbar.Org, 2019.
Olsen, Dean. “Veterans Affair’s Outpatient Clinic in Springfield Worst in State for Share of Patients Waiting.” The State Journal-Register, 2015.
Roy. Avik. 2019. "Should The Veterans Health Care System Be Privatized? - Room For Debate - Nytimes.Com". Nytimes.Com. Accessed April 17 2019. https://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2016/06/28/should-the-veterans-health-care-system-be-privatized
Shen, Yujing et al. "The Impact of Private Insurance Coverage on Veterans' Use of VA Care: Insurance And Selection Effects." Health Services Research 43.1p1 (2007): 267-286. Web. 17 Apr. 2019.
Steinhauer, Jennifer. “Veterans Will Have More Access to Private Health Care Under New V.A. Rules.” The New York Times, 2019.
