I have been a participant in the medical care provided by the US Air Force for over 20 years, and now through the VA for a number of years.
The medical care provided by the VA is far, far better than anything available to almost any American citizen except perhaps for the most costly insurance plans. The only reason I use private health care instead of the VA is because I don't want to take the space needed by many BADLY wounded veterans. Veterans who suffered those wounds because of our endless wars which we continue simply because more than 100 huge corporations need endless wars to continue to pad their profits. Meanwhile, the VA has been hit by cut after cut after CUT from Washington, rendering it almost moribund.
And while I salute those 40 or 50 or more veterans who apparently died because of problems in funding and manning in Arizona – I also have to pause for a moment and think of the thousands and thousands of civilians who have died and are dying now, because of the lack of health care available to them.
Every developed nation in the world except American provides national health care to all their citizens. The most valuable natural resource available to ANY nation is the health of its workforce.
