Ask a veteran about government health insurance: Column

Pete Hegseth | USATODAY

Charles Skipper is an American hero. A retired member of the Army, he served in Vietnam from 1967 to 1968. A battlefield injury cut short his tour of duty, which earned him two Purple Hearts, a Bronze Star and a lifelong battle with post-traumatic stress disorder.

But you wouldn't know that he's a hero by the way he has been treated by the Department of Veterans Affairs. Six years after filing a disability claim, he's still waiting for resolution. Those years have been filled with paperwork, unfulfilled promises and a bureaucratic mess.

Skipper's experience is not unique. Many veterans have suffered at the hands of the VA, where the federal government is both the middleman and the manager of their care.

Now he has a warning for America: "If you really want to know what Obamacare is going to be like, just look at the VA system."

A larger role

True, the government owns the VA hospitals while Obamacare gives the federal government a larger role in overseeing the private health care system. But anytime the government gets involved, patients can expect delays, technological shortcomings and unreliable service.

The VA's biggest problem is its inability to process disability claim payments. There are roughly 700,000 claims pending. Of that number, a half-million have been backlogged for more than 125 days. Some have been backlogged for over two years.

The VA's attempts to fix this problem have not worked. While the backlog of first-time claims has slightly declined since April, the number of appealed claims has shot up. Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., the chairman of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, fears that the department is "simply moving some backlogged cases from one queue to another" to artificially depress the backlog. Overall, the agency has processed 100,000 fewer claims than it promised for fiscal year 2013.

The VA suffers from the same problem as HealthCare.gov: technological ineptitude.

The VA still handles the majority of its claims process via paper, leading to inefficiency and delays. Attempts to modernize its system have also faced the bureaucracy's steadfast opposition to change.

The VA's dysfunction can even mean the difference between life and death. More than a third of veterans in need of mental health services wait more than two weeks for exams, while 22 veterans commit suicide every day. Even scheduling a mental health appointment by phone can be a hassle. This summer, the VA hospital in Portland, Ore., had queues of 50 people and hour-long holds.

Promises, promises

Every year, too many veterans die of cancer and other diseases because VA waited too long to diagnose or treat them.

It's important to note that the VA, for all its faults, serves a necessary purpose. Many veterans praise the care they receive, even if it can be inconsistent. But as any veteran will tell you, the government's promises are empty until they're fulfilled.

Now veterans aren't alone. Under Obamacare, 5 million Americans have had their health insurance canceled despite President Obama's promises to the contrary.

Washington should take note. Attempts to give the federal government more control of the nation's health care system are a fool's errand. Veterans know this all too well.

Pete Hegseth is the CEO of Concerned Veterans for America and an Army veteran of Afghanistan, Iraq, and Guantanamo Bay.

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