I have been using the VA as my source of medical care for about two years now and didnt realize how bad it was until this Government run health care topic came up. I listen to Mike just about every day and when he started to bring people on his show to discuss the horror stories about Canida and the UK I reallized that their health care sounded a lot like the Veteran affairs health care. We dont have to go the other countries to find out how bad government health care is...we have it right here in our own country. Just ask a vet!

I have degenerative disc desease, and rupturer two discs while getting out of a hellocopter in Blue Diamond Iraq. When i got back to the states i had to have a double disc replacement and double fusion in me cervical spine. When i was medical discharged I went straight to the VA and set up an appointment. That was in July of 2007. It is now June or 2009 and i still have no relief!!! Have you ever heard of the "hurry up and wait" pollicy in the military? Well, that also applies with government ran health care. I get a proceedure called nerve blocks done to my lumbar spine and this is the process i have to go through to get the proceedure done. First i have to call and set up an appointment to get into my local VA clinic which usually takes at least a month to get an appointment. I go to the appointment and the nerse evaluates me and desides if i should get another proceedure. If the agree that I do they will submit a consult to the VA board and the will deside if they will fund it or not.If they will they will send me an authorization letter (which usually takes anywhere from two to four weeks to get) with a phone number to call to set up the injection appointment. When I call to make the appointment it is usually three to four weeks out but, its not the proceedure this appointment is just an initial visit. The appointment usually lasts about fifteen minuts and it takes me three and a half hours to get there. If you know anything about back pain you know that amout of time in a car is not helping at all. After seven hours in a car i come home and wait for another week or two for my actual proceedure appointment to come in the mail and it is at least two weeks out from the letter. After waiting all this time i finally go in and get my proceedure, but when i get there they tell me that they can only inject one side of my spine at a time and i will have to make another appointment to get the other side done which is usually two to three weeks out from there. Remember its a seven hour round trip each appointment, and because of the proceedure i cant drive for twenty four hours after so my wife has to go with me or i have to stay over night. That means either we both miss a day of work or i miss two days of work. It adds up believe me!

So, if you think that government run health care is a good idea just go ask a disabled veteran and i bet they will change your mind.

Remember this fellow Americans... YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR!!!