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Part One:
We speak with Jasper Craven, a freelance reporter who focuses on overlooked policy changes at all levels of government. We discussed the medical system provided by the Veterans Administration, and note that it is, essentially, socialized medicine. Although many people demonize anything that is “socialized,” it turns out that the VA provides its patients with better medical outcomes, shorter waiting times, and facilities with safer and more welcoming conditions than in the private sector.
Moreover, although worldwide health research now enables injured soldiers to come home rather than dying on the battlefield, they often come home with a new and complex set of medical circumstances very different from the health issues in our non-military population which is what most non-VA providers treat. Accordingly, the VA has been forced to develop a multitude of innovative and advanced systems for diagnosing and treating these advanced health problems. Some VA innovations have improved health care for non-veterans too.
It would be quite problematic, however, if the government were to adopt proposals to divert money away from VA facilities and give it to privatized providers instead. Private medicine is already struggling to meet the medical needs of our population, even without adding in thousands of veterans with complex and difficult-to-treat medical conditions that the private facilities are ill equipped to handle.
Part Two:
We talk to Lauren Weber at Kaiser Health News, about one very specific health care issue. Our fraying safety net is unable to control an epidemic of syphilis (and other sexually transmitted diseases) in the U.S. In 1999, the CDC had thought we could wipe out syphilis altogether in just a few years, because we had controlled it so well. Now 20 years later, it’s skyrocketing and many people — especially in rural areas — don’t know why they’re experiencing symptoms. Many medical providers are not prepared either: they haven’t seen the disease in so long that they don’t immediately reach the correct diagnosis.
Moreover, the nation’s public health system has been underfunded and is targeted for even more cuts. Yet this is the system which does research, analyzes data, and makes policy recommendations. Without active advocacy from the public health system, sexually active people (young and otherwise) will not be able to obtain prompt preventive care and treatment which they need in order to stave off serious health dangers.
