While the Bush administration has eagerly fired a scapegoat over the appalling conditions at Walter Reed hospital (much like it handled Abu Ghraib by firing Brig. Gen. Karpinski instead of addressing its own pro-torture policy), the conservative spin machine has swung into full gear.
Instead of blaming the underfunding of the VA, and the poorly anticipated stresses brought on the system by Iraq casualties, quips about so-called "socialized" medicine have begun to pepper the conservative blogosphere. The disgraceful horrors of Walter Reed are "proof" that government-managed healthcare is inherently disastrous.
The truth? The VA is the best health care in America.
The "VA has for six consecutive years received the highest consumer satisfaction ratings of any public or private sector health care system," providing prompt, efficient, and high-quality service.
The VA is capable of doing this in large part because its centralization of authority creates effective oversight, allows swift coordinated response to problems, constantly adapting to reduce costs and improve care. As a Kennedy School study found,
"The VA is...becoming the model for what modern health care management and delivery should look like."
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