Can anyone tell me why it is necessary to preserve the Van Zandt Veterans Hospital, or for that matter, any other VA Hospital?
If the government were to close a VA Hospital, why would veterans need to travel great distances, at enormous personal expense, to receive care or hospitalization just because they're a veteran?
We do have an obligation to our veterans to provide for their health care.
Can they not receive excellent care at any of the privately run hospitals near their homes?
Is the care provided by the VA any better, or is it just another government waste of scarce resources by politicians to gain votes at election time?
If the VA Hospital is necessary for the care of veterans, do we also need a special hospital for all Medicare or Medicaid recipients? Do we need a separate hospital for the care of government employees?
Obviously, the answer is no.
Medicare and Medicaid recipients, government employees, and all other citizens receive their care at a hospital or clinic of their choosing. These citizens are issued health care cards by their provider and present it at the time of receiving care.
The government could save enormous amounts of money by closing VA Hospitals and issuing benefits cards to veterans for care at any licensed hospital or clinic.
To those current employees of the VA Hospital system who say they would lose their jobs, non-profit and for-profit hospitals would provide employment opportunities due to the increased patient numbers from the VA system.
The government should not exist to provide employment and unfair competition, but to support the veteran, and to provide for their health care.
Stop the waste, care for the veteran.
Raymond Neil
U.S. Navy Seabee Vietnam veteran
Claysburg
