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I am genuinely curious: Do you have links to more information about this aggregated health information? I would like to understand your perspective, but my prej
by fapjacks 11y ago
I am genuinely curious: Do you have links to more information about this aggregated health information? I would like to understand your perspective, but my prejudice against the VA system is telling me there may be an end-run around on a technicality, for example does the VA population count all veterans in their population, even if they have never sought healthcare at the VA? Does it exclude certain patients that otherwise would negatively affect the data? I am having a hard time accepting that the VA produces a population about as healthy (in aggregate or not) as the regular American population, especially given the conditions largely affecting only combat veterans (Agent Orange, Gulf War Syndrome, depleted uranium, Project SHAD, TBI, PTSD, etc), and the number of veterans with these conditions.
- athenot 11y agoUnfortunately I don't have the reports handy but one of things is that they achieve outcomes similar to private health systems given much less money per capita. Outcomes do take into account the starting conditions ("comorbidities") so this doesn't necessarily mean that the actual health of that population is better than average population. Because as you pointed out, service people get a pretty raw deal when it comes to occupational hazard. ;( Additional info: RAND analysis about VA and non-VA care -- http://www.rand.org/blog/2012/08/socialized-or-not-we-can-learn-from-the-va.html http://www.rand.org/blog/2012/08/socialized-or-not-we-can-le... Meta-study commissioned by the VA looking at existing studies comparing quality of care in VA and out of VA -- http://www.hsrd.research.va.gov/publications/esp/quality.pdf http://www.hsrd.research.va.gov/publications/esp/quality.pdf
- fapjacks 11y agoThank you, these links are very interesting.