Vets May See Increased Out-of-Pocket Health Care Expenses

Since I am a disabled Veteran, this issue is near and dear to my heart. You see, I have a terrible medical condition you can read about in this blog, and although it hasn't been deamed 'service connected', thanks to my vision and income, I currently qualify for free care.

If the VA wants to save money, I have a few suggestions.

1. Stop wasting printer ink, and paper! Everytime I check in to see the doctor, they print out and hand me a list of the medications I am taking. This list is printed from the same computer server the Doctor has access to in his/her office, so the printing what amounts to several pages is totally unnecessary.

Additionally, everytime medications are dispensed to me at the hospital pharmacy or through the U.S. Postal Service, I'm printed a separate order information sheet for each medicine. These pages are also unnecessary as well since all the information needed to refill my prescriptions is located right there on the medicine bottle.

2. The VA Health System could also save money by turning off some hospital lights at night. There is no reason I can think of for burning every light in every hall at night when meny patients are trying to sleep. Half of the lights in the hospital hallways could be turned off.

I am only one patient, and I go to only one VA hospital. If these changes were implemented for all veterans at all VA hospitals, the savings would, indeed, add up.

3. Hospitals could give in-patients a checklist of undesired foods to cut down on food waste, which could save money in the hospital food service.

Below is an exerpt from the article that prompted me to write the above with a link to the full story. Please post a comment if you feel so moved. Maybe you can also make suggestions regarding how the VA might save money.

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A new report from the Congressional Budget Office shows why some military retirees and veterans could face higher out-of-pocket costs if the Obama administration and Congress take bold moves to reform the U.S. health system and to make federal health programs more efficient. Among 115 "options" presented, though not endorsed, in the CBO report, several focus on raising TRICARE out-of-pocket costs for retirees and one for families. Others would tighten access to VA hospitals and clinics, or raise VA health fees, for veterans with no service-connected conditions. To learn more, read the full article on Military.com.