I get every piece of my healthcare from the VA and, like you’ve said, the VA has been excellent.

The services my guy got through the VA saved us both. The medical appointments were always good and we were never kept waiting. The respite care and hospice services were provided in a cheerful, comforting and supportive way, and because of them I was able to care for him at home to the end. Our needs were anticipated. My guy has been gone more than 6 years now, but I will always be grateful, and take every chance to sing the praises of the system and the staff.

I know not everyone had such great experiences. We were fortunate.

Can't thank them enough and glad I served. Can't even imagine what my health insurance costs would have been and that's if I could even have gotten coverage.

Seeing a GP doctor twice a year catches a lot of problems early. How many people have I known or heard about who never needed to go to a doctor...until they did, only to discover they then had stage 4 cancer of some type?

Preventative medicine works.

One refused to see a doctor and the other was theoretically under constant care that just missed it.

I guess preventative care doesn't always catch everything, but without it you're just shooting in the dark. You can get away with it most of the time when you're young, but after age 40 and certainly by age 50 you definitely need to be proactive.

Even earlier if you're "at risk" for certain conditions.

The one who refused to see a doctor probably had metastasized skin cancer. Maybe he could have survived if it had been caught. He lasted around two weeks after he collapsed about to board a dream cruise with his wife and adult kids. Such a shock.

Slap on a 20% minimum profit on everything and put a bunch of road blocks in between you and what you need… profit!
Voila!

/s

contracted out to private rehabs. We tried for over a year to get my MIL into one. If she had left then, my spouse might still be alive.

the same experiences with VA hospitals in the SF Bay Area as well as VA Mather and VA McClellan near me in Sacramento. Mather is very closely tied to the UC Davis Medical Center. Good quality care. Life saving care. The David Grant research hospital facility at Travis AFB did save my life nine years ago.

I have been in the VA system for a bit over fifty years and I have noticed a great improvement overall. I remember that early on my major fight was with the bean counters who seemed to feel that their function was to deny treatment. Not helpful at all. The most spectacular improvement has to be with records keeping. In the sixties, seventies and eighties the book keeping and handling of records was a hideous farce at times, too many times. A massive investment in a computer system that actually works has solved much of that.

Gawd help us if this system is monetized and privatized.

I worked 7 years in HR at the VA, hiring nedical staff. It was the best job of my life because I knew it was our Vets that I was working for. I met and worked with so many great people there, all devoted to serving those who served and their families.

Thank you for sharing your experience, and thank you again for your service.

Some good, some very good, some bad, some very bad. I am a service-connected disabled vet due to a military surgeon who was not too good. I use Asheville VA which is supposed to be one of the best.

Best of socialized medicine. on prevention but on some care. Other people with similar medical issues at the Medical Center got things easily that I had to fight for because they got to see other providers that did so much more for them.

My VA Primary Care doctor gives me short refusal to requests with no explanation. His nurses are a gem but he is too busy he says. My outside (on Medicare) doctor is 100 times better and she really wants to help me.

Can't even get some of the medication my outside doctor requested from VA in spite of the fact that the VA authorizes it. They don't want to spend the money in spite of the fact that what they give me is what the manufacturer said is "off label use" and "we are reporting it to the FDA".

Urologist is absolutely wonderful as is Audiology and eye care. People are nice, friendly and helpful but Patient Advocate was worthless when I needed help the most. Physical Therapy, Orthopedic Supplies people are great. The nurses are truly outstanding. Apnea people are also fabulous.

Nice that medications are so inexpensive but VA gets cheap on the stupidest things - they want me to split pills that cost $4/month at Walmart but can't be split with a splitter because of shape or by hand because at my age, that has become difficult. I had to fight with them over that and got some changed.

Getting outside community care referral from VA is harder than pulling teeth.

Because of the distance, the only reason I go to the VA any more are the Urologist, the cost of medication, Apnea supplies, hearing aids and glasses. All other care is outside as with Medicare and Medigap, I don't need the VA for much. But I have to see my doctor annually or lose my eligibility even though it is mostly a waste of time.

I think the low population density here in Maine is one factor in why the care is generally so good.

you are also eligible (as is your spouse) to get dental care through VADIP. We have it and are very happy with it. VA care here at VA in Albuquerque has been exceptional.

discount on the insurance but your spouse gets nothing and pays regular prices for it.

The choice is between Delta and MetLife dental insurance. They are great plans because the Metlife one at least has no waiting period for major services like any other individual plan would have. You can choose from basic coverage or comprehensive coverage. It also offers a $3500 maximum which is more than many group dental plans offer through employers. Most offer $1500 or $2000 maximums. My husband and I are very happy with it.

The Docs and nurses are great. Pharmacy is outstanding...I get my meds via mail usually within 5 days of requesting them. Audiology and eye care is outstanding.

I've haven't had any issues with outside referrals. Trying to understand the billing can be a challenge (not billing to me, but a recap of authorized payments.

I did have one issue on claims which still isn't resolved. It's a convoluted process.