Bauman Policy Analysis
Bauman Policy Analysis of the U.S. VA System Bauman 1994, sentiments are mainly based on the fact that as much as the country is debating on the nature and future of healthcare, it is ignoring a rather critical part of it. According to him, the federal government control and owns the Veteran Affairs health care system which is the biggest care system in the country given the fact that it was comprised of a hundred and seventy-one hospitals three hundred and sixty-two outpatient clinics a hundred and twenty-eight nursing homes two hundred and sixty-six employees, and on top of this all sixteen billion of the 1994 budget was allocated to it. Despite this, Bauman notes that first the system the much-appreciated veterans are kept in waiting lists
for long. Secondly, the system is marred by hundreds of millions of dollars in medical malpractices claims. Thirdly the VA system is highly costly taking billions of dollars from the tax payers’ pockets. The final main criticism has on the VA system is that due to its massive bureaucracy, ninety percent of qualified veterans prefer private alternatives. Based on the similarities between the VA system and the Obamacare or other government controlled systems, it could be easily thought that they would all go down a similar route. However, it is equally important to consider a fundamental difference between how the two systems operate. Although both Obamacare and the Veteran Affairs systems fall under the category of socialized medicine, the latter is essentially a single-player health care system where its vast number of hospitals, clinics, and homes are operated and controlled by the federal government (Bauman, 1994). On the other hand, Obamacare is more of a subsidized private healthcare system where the government does not have absolute control of the system rather it steps in to offer premium support subsidies for low-income citizens. As such, the quality of care is decent and uninsured individuals will highly benefit if they can afford the premiums.
References
Bauman, R. E. (1994). 70 years of federal government health care: A timely look at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Retrieved from https://www.cato.org/publications/policy-analysis/70-years-federal-government-health-care-timely-look-us-department-veterns-affairs
for long. Secondly, the system is marred by hundreds of millions of dollars in medical malpractices claims. Thirdly the VA system is highly costly taking billions of dollars from the tax payers’ pockets. The final main criticism has on the VA system is that due to its massive bureaucracy, ninety percent of qualified veterans prefer private alternatives. Based on the similarities between the VA system and the Obamacare or other government controlled systems, it could be easily thought that they would all go down a similar route. However, it is equally important to consider a fundamental difference between how the two systems operate. Although both Obamacare and the Veteran Affairs systems fall under the category of socialized medicine, the latter is essentially a single-player health care system where its vast number of hospitals, clinics, and homes are operated and controlled by the federal government (Bauman, 1994). On the other hand, Obamacare is more of a subsidized private healthcare system where the government does not have absolute control of the system rather it steps in to offer premium support subsidies for low-income citizens. As such, the quality of care is decent and uninsured individuals will highly benefit if they can afford the premiums.
References
Bauman, R. E. (1994). 70 years of federal government health care: A timely look at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Retrieved from https://www.cato.org/publications/policy-analysis/70-years-federal-government-health-care-timely-look-us-department-veterns-affairs