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Decent Healthcare for All Veterans

By VVAW

There's no way to calculate the number of vets who would rather suffer from illness of some sort rather than go to the V.A. The V.A.'s reputation as a butchershop is well deserved when a vet is faced with serious medical problems. And if the problem isn't so serious, then it's a case of wait, and wait, and wait some more while the often overworked V.A. doctors, tied up in mountains of bureaucratic red tape, have time to take care of you.

Because veterans have, historically, had particular health problems and needs, the V.A. was set up to deal with them. By today it has become the largest single hospital network in the country. But like many governmental agencies it has always lagged behind: years after the problem was clear to veterans, the V.A. took up the problems of radiation. When Vietnam vets faced problems with drug addiction, the V.A. waited years until it came up with a program to meet the problem--and then the program was at least 90% sham.

For older vets, many of whom need almost permanent health-care, the V.A. has provided not much more than a warehouse to store them out of sight of the American people (which, to the V.A., seems to solve the problem). Even though there are thousands of dedicated and serious V.A. workers, both in the areas of healthcare and administration, the V.A. makes it as difficult as possible for these individuals to serve the veteran.

With the blatant inadequacies already evident, Carter has now proposed to cut back on the number of hospital beds and will once again give the V.A. system a shot in the ass instead of the shot in the arm that it needs. Like the rest of the American people, veterans need the healthcare that should be the right of anyone. Make the V.A. respond to the real needs of vets. DECENT HEALTHCARE FOR ALL VETERANS!