Straight Platform Politics

Health Care Reform And Veterans – Part 2

Recent health care reform proposals have caused the public to evaluate the health care systems currently operated by the U.S. government, namely the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) and the Indian Health Service. Recent investigations have revealed serious problems within the VHA system.

Earlier this year, the VHA was dealing with the scandal that unsanitary equipment used in procedures infected about 53 patients with either HIV or hepatitis B or C. See Part 1 Then, in June, it was reported that 92 veterans were given wrong radiation doses in a common procedure to treat prostate cancer. These veterans were treated at the VHA facility in Philadelphia.

These problems have caused people to question whether or not the VHA is showing signs of an institutional breakdown. There apparently has been little genuine oversight provided by the VHA and investigations into grave problems produced little improvement. Sadly, the Philadelphia tragedy was allowed to continue for six years.

Funding, of course, is always a problem for anything that is run by the government. Many people cite lack of proper funding as the reason for the decrease in quality health care in the VHA. However, the same thing can be said of the Indian Health Service, Medicare, Medicaid, etc.

And we want the government to run our whole health care system because…….?

HIV mode of transmission, HIV testing, Indian Health Service, Philadelphia, U.S. government, VA, Veterans Health Administration, health care reform, health care system, hepatitis, wrong radiation doses

Health Care Reform And Veterans – Part 1

Recent health care reform proposals have caused the public to evaluate the health care systems currently operated by the U.S. government, namely the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) and the Indian Health Service. The quality of these government-run systems is not encouraging.

Some people continue to refer to past studies that found the VHA to be better than Medicare, managed-care systems, and the highest rated non-VHA hospitals. Phillip Longman, in his article “The Best Care Anywhere,” (Washington Monthly Jan/Feb 2005) observed: “Outside experts agree that the VHA has become an industry leader in its safety and quality measures.”

But that was then.

Earlier this year, more than 10,000 former VHA patients were notified that they could have been exposed to HIV or hepatitis B or C through unsafe endoscopic procedures. These procedures involved substandard, unclean practices; some of these procedures were done as long ago as 2003. Three different states were involved – Florida, Tennessee, and Georgia. Unfortunately, 53 patients have tested positive so far.

U.S. Rep. Harry Mitchell, chair of the House Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, had this to say in a June press release: “Most infuriating is the irony that these veterans were undergoing routine medical evaluations to prevent illness, but ultimately, they may be in more danger now than before the procedures. [T]here is no question that shoddy standards – systemic across the VA – put veterans at risk and dealt a blow to their trust in the VA.”

And a blow to our trust in the ability of government to provide descent health care to many more people than just veterans.  See Health Care Reform And The Bridge

HIV mode of transmission, HIV testing, Indian Health Service, Phillip Longman, U.S. Rep. Harry Mitchell, U.S. government, VA, Veterans Health Administration, health care reform, health care system, hepatitis

What a Choice: Capitalism or Islam – Part 2

Even though the U.S. government can legally prevent foreign Muslims from entering the country to attend the Hizb ut-Tahrir conference, that’s not enough. The conference presents a homeland security risk. See Part 1

Bob Blitzer, who headed the FBI’s first unit on Islamic terrorism, said that the danger of having such a conference is in the results of exposure to HT’s extremism. Attendees may become fired up, go home, and then commit violent acts anywhere in the U.S.

A former member of HT, Maajid Nawaz, has stated that the HT ideology certainly leads to violence. Its members have been arrested for inciting national, racial, religious, and ethnic strife in countries around the world.

The group is regarded as such a threat to governance that it has been banned in most of the Arab countries in the Middle East; it also has been banned in many non-Arab Muslim countries. Both Germany and Russia banned the Hizb ut-Tahrir in 2003.

Hizb ut-Tahrir has decided to come out of hiding in the U.S. Hopefully Oak Lawn, a community southwest of Chicago, has beefed up its police force. Hopefully Homeland Security is on alert.

Islam is not a choice for America.

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