[Gimpy]

Originally posted by SuperScout

And you're still missing the point. Had the equivalent amount of tax dollars been applied the private sector for medical and other research, doubtless the same or probably even better results would have been achieved. The salary cap issue is another socialistic mechanism designed to insure that mediocrity prevails. Naturally, the VA has to impose a salary cap, simply because the system doesn't reward good doctors who provide good care. It would probably surprise and revolt most people to discover just how many VA physicians and other staff work there simply because they are too incompetent to be employed in the private sector.

No.......................I'm NOT "missing" anything my old friend. You ain't even CLOSE to the "point"!

More "tax dollars" HAVE been applied in your "holy grail" of the "private sector"................just check those facts with the AMA if you don't understand what I'm attempting to further your "education" with.

The "salary caps" for physican salarys are somewhat disturbing and need upgrading for sure. However, they ARE NOT a "socialistic mechanism" as you put it. Many private companies and professional organizations use the same "methods" of determining salary requirements for their own particular industry "standards"!They are arrived at by economic conditions in the community and associated localities physician "specialties" in medical practice and what the "market" will bear. The PROBLEM is....................that the Congress has FAILED to adequately FUND the VA system to properly advance those "caps" to accomodate todays market values for salarys! Is that PLAIN & SIMPLE enough for ya to comprehend now??

As for their physicians being to "incompetent to be employed in the private sector."

Once again...............your "arrogance" is only more obvious than your "ignorance" on this subject as well!

The VA manages the largest medical education and health professions training program in the United States. VA facilities are affiliated with 107 medical schools, 55 dental schools and more than 1,200 other schools across the country. Each year, about 81,000 health professionals are trained in VA medical centers.

More than half of the physicians practicing in the United States have had part of their professional education in the VA health care system. The doctors on staff at VA hospitals and clinics as a group are considered some of the best in the world according to the AMA.

More than 4.5 million people received care in the VA health care facilities in 2002 and even more in 2003. The VA is used annually by approximately 75 percent of all disabled and low-income veterans . In 2002, the VA treated 564,700 patients in VA hospitals and contract hospitals, 50,267 in nursing homes and 22,541 in domiciliaries. The VA's outpatient clinics registered approximately 46.5 million visits.

VA has experienced unprecedented growth in the medical system workload over the past few years. The number of patients treated increased by over 9.5 percent from 2001 to 2002 and is expected to show even further increases in 2003.

Since 1979, VA?s Readjustment Counseling Service has operated Vet Centers, which provide psychological counseling for war-related trauma, community outreach, case management and referral activities, plus supportive social services to veterans and family members. There are 206 Vet Centers in this country.

Since the first Vet Center opened, approximately 1.6 million veterans have been helped. Every year, the Vet Centers serve over 126,000 veterans and handle at least 900,000 visits from veterans and family members.

Vet Centers are open to any veteran who served in the military in a combat theater during wartime or anywhere during a period of armed hostilities. Vet Centers also provide trauma counseling to veterans who were sexually assaulted or harassed while on active duty.

There are currently 19,380 full-time equivalent employee (FTEE) staff, contract, and resident physicians employed or on contract at the VA.

In 2002, funding for VA research was $371 million. Another $377 million from VA's medical care account supports research efforts. Funding from the National Institutes of Health and other foundations, combined with supporting funds from pharmaceutical companies, contributed another $624 million to VA research. VA currently conducts more than 15,000 research projects at 115 VA medical centers.

While providing high quality health care to the nation's veterans, VA also conducts an array of research on some of the most difficult challenges facing medical science today. VA has become a world leader in such research areas as aging, women?s health, AIDS, post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health issues. VA research has improved medical care for veterans and the nation.

Seventy-five percent of VA researchers are practicing physicians. Because of their dual roles, VA research often immediately benefits patients. Functional electrical stimulation, a technology using controlled electrical currents to activate paralyzed muscles, is being developed at VA clinical facilities and laboratories throughout the country. Through this technology, paraplegic patients have been able to grasp objects, stand, and even walk short distances.

Special VA ?centers of excellence? throughout the nation conduct research in rehabilitation, health services and medical conditions including AIDS, alcoholism, schizophrenia, stroke and Parkinson?s disease. Multi-center clinical trials investigate the best therapy for various diseases. Current projects include testing aspirin therapy for heart patients, surgical treatment to reduce the risk of stroke and treatment options for prostate cancer.

I could go on and on.....................but, I'm sure you "get the picture".

Like I said before, we have a WORLD CLASS and WORLD RENOWNED health care system in the VA ............the evidence supports all of this. The "private sector" would take DECADES..not just "years" to achieve what the VA has accomplished with regards to veterans care.........AND at at a MUCH HIGHER cost to "taxpayers" than the system we have now!

Now, like I've been telling you............would you PLEASE try and convince your republican buddies to FULLY FUND this system?

Me and a few million other disabled vets and their families would sure as heck appreciate it.

Thanks,