VA Death Panels Offs 40 Vets

Arkansas GOPwing

Obamacare supporters argue that socialized medicine does not lead to rationing, especially in the form of “death panels.” They also argue that the Veterans Health Administration is a shining example of socialized medicine. Both myths have recently been debunked with a startling Phoenix VA revelation:

At least 40 U.S. veterans died waiting for appointments at the Phoenix Veterans Affairs Health Care system, many of whom were placed on a secret waiting list.

The secret list was part of an elaborate scheme designed by Veterans Affairs managers in Phoenix who were trying to hide that 1,400 to 1,600 sick veterans were forced to wait months to see a doctor, according to a recently retired top VA doctor and several high-level sources....

There's an "official" list that's shared with officials in Washington and shows the VA has been providing timely appointments, which Foote calls a sham list. And then there's the real list that's hidden from outsiders, where wait times can last more than a year.

"The scheme was deliberately put in place to avoid the VA's own internal rules," said Foote in Phoenix. "They developed the secret waiting list," said Foote, a respected local physician....

"I have to say, I think it's unfair to call any of this a success when Veterans are waiting 6 weeks on an electronic waiting list before they're called to schedule their first PCP (primary care physician) appointment," [a secret] e-mail states. "Sure, when their appointment is created, it can be 14 days out, but we're making them wait 6-20 weeks to create that appointment."

The e-mail adds pointedly: "That is unethical and a disservice to our Veterans."

This type of rationing is very common in socialized medicine. One notorious example is the British NHS, which kills off 130,000 elderly patients every year through medical rationing.

There is nothing magical about removing the profit motive from healthcare. As long as there are not enough medical professionals to treat every ailing patient, rationing will occur, either at the hands of government bureaucrats or private insurers.

Now perhaps if the American Medical Association did not have such a government-backed monopoly on medical licensing, there would be more practicing doctors in the field, allowing for more patients to be treated at more affordable healthcare costs.

Of course, that would be assuming that any attempt at healthcare “reform” would ever dare to address the AMA cartel, and that would be assuming that either statist party would ever dare address the problems with the corporate state. Satan would soon be ice skating to work before that ever happened.