Veterans Affairs Fails to Curb Suicide Epidemic
Veterans represent only 7 percent of the population, but 22 percent of all reported suicides. The quality of Veterans Health Administration (VHA) care for suicide risks often surpasses private hospitals. However, 61 percent of veterans are not enrolled in the VHA, and therefore do not receive treatment from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). (More)
How is this not shocking? Well because we all know how inefficient the VA is.
Yeah, I would say even more inefficient than many other government entities, which is quite troubling and strange at the same time. Although I am no VA expert and I may be wrong.
We always hear about how terrible the VA is, why is more inefficient than other government entities? Is it subject to more stringent regulations?
I feel like it is open to less competition than many other government entities.
It seems like a breakdown of suicide rates between VHA enrollees and non-VHA enrollees would be useful.
That would be interesting to see how good of a job the VHA actually does.
“Veterans represent only 7 percent of the population, but 22 percent of all reported suicides.”
– This is an astounding stat. Simply appalling.
This problem needs to be addressed.. We need to be able to get those veterans into an effective program.
Right…problem is how do we address this problem. Easy to say it needs to be addressed and even at some levels how to but it’s much harder to act upon these proposed changes
and as Dr. Goodman has contended previously:
“Virtually everything the government has been doing in health care in recent years is an attempt to ameliorate the bad effects of people acting on the perverse incentives created by previous government policies!”