Dear Mr. Morris:

 I have both Catastrophe and Fleeced on my Kindle (Amazon.com) and highly respect your work. I listened to you this morning on Fox & Friends and I wanted to compliment you on adding the Veterans Administration to the list of government systems that have failed for those they are supposed to serve, the veterans. Most have ignored the VA in this heated discussion. I retired from the VA (psychiatry) in 2004 after over 20 years, but just as important, I am also a 100% Service Connected [SC'ed] veteran of the Vietnam 'Conflict' [for wounds I suffered in battle]. 

 The average wait for an appointment with a primary care doctor at the VA is from 4 to 7 months. An appointment with a specialty service is much longer, or doesn't exist. At one point the VA passed a 'rule' that if you are SC'ed and ask for an appointment (for something that you are SC'ed for) the clinic must see you in 30 days or less. The VA ignores it. If you bring it up when you call they will tell you that "If I give you an earlier appointment I will have to cancel one for another veteran." Great, turn it back onto the patient. 

Even when you have an appointment, the clinician has about 15 minutes to see the patient, and that includes writing his or her notes. Almost all care now is mostly 'take this blue pill and don't call me in the morning.' Don't get me wrong, there are many dedicated clinicians and support staff in the VA system, but their hands are tied. True psychiatry is gone. Psychotherapy for individual patients is fiercely discouraged.  Almost all treatment is again, 'keep taking all of your pills and call us if there is an emergency.' Unfortunately, if you then call in an emergency, you are told to go to your closest ER (which you are probably have no insurance foe).

 In the last 2 years every time I do have an appointment I see a new doctor. Electronic notes? They don't have time to read them, so every appointment starts with, "Why are you here today." Primary care for me for over a twenty year period was seeing a 'Physician Extender.' [Nurse (RN), Doctor's Assistant, LPN) I never even saw an MD in that clinic. As I worked for the VA and they provided Blue Cross, if I really had a problem I went to a private doctor from the community. Many of my patients did not have that luxury. 

As I clinical social worker I was the primary first contact for all consults for the ER, MICU, and all general inpatient emergencies. I also had a full day of patients to see (for their 15 minute session). If I needed to call in a doctor I would call the clinic and be told that the psychiatrist on call is with a patient (they were often double-booked) and would get back to me, maybe.

 To make matters worse Obama has just added 500,000 more veterans to the VA eligible list (without adding any more staff) so he can tell the Military 'I have your back.'

[Emphasis is mine] “The President is committed to ensuring that the Department of Veterans Affairs provides America's Veterans the highest-quality health care possible. His budget requests the largest single-year increase in funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs in three decades and significantly expands coverage extending care to 500000 more veterans who were previously excluded.”

Health reform will only build on the President's commitment to Veterans' health care. The VA Healthcare system will continue to be available for all eligible Veterans. Also Veterans and their families will have additional choices [Obama health care plan?]  for high-quality affordable health care with consumer protections that prevent insurance companies from denying coverage or setting a limit on the coverage they will provide. — From http://www1.va.gov/opa/fact/statesum/alss.asp 

Let us not forget that Obama's first 'lead balloon' regarding health care for veterans was for them to buy private health insurance to pay for the wounds they suffered in battle. I am very frustrated that both sides of this discussion about health care are ignoring the 800 pound gorilla in this room, the VA has been a 'Universal' Single Payer Health Care System for many years and it has failed miserably. My personal guess is that if/when he gets this passed (at 2am some morning in September) the 1440+ VA facilities will be rolled into the bad health care for all. Think about it, saving money will become an issue, why have a separate plan?

 So let me complete the list of failed government programs:

• Social Security
• The Department of Education, Agriculture, etc.
• Medicare
• Medicaid
• Congress
• The Senate
• The Department of Veterans Affairs
• The Postal Service Just heard the president say this!

Let me know if I missed anything. I hope you will continue this discussion with the citizens of the US (now called the Mob). The veterans from the Vietnam Era are now facing the complete loss of their benefits due to this HC scam, and they have the most to lose as they are on average 62 to 66 years of age. I can tell you this is one 63 year old that will not 'Take the blue pill' and go off into the night silently.'

 Note: The VA has 153 hospitals, 755 community-based outpatient clinics, 230 Vet Centers, 132 Community Living Centers, 48 residential rehabilitation treatment programs and 128 comprehensive home care programs.  To improve patients’ ability to access care, VA has changed from a hospital-based system to a primarily outpatient-focused system over the past decade.  Veterans will make more than 65 million outpatient visits to VA health care facilities this year. —http://www1.va.gov/opa/fact/statesum/alss.asp