Health Economics and VA HospitalsBY: MATTHEW ROUSSEAU

Article & Synopsis

▪ http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/30/health/veterans-dying-health-care-delays/

▪ Nearly 7,000 veterans have been on a backlog list at one time in Columbia, SC and Augusta, GA, leading to death and exacerbation of afflictions

▪ Family members and veterans themselves have received messages notifying them that delayed care may have caused adverse effects

Follow Up Article

▪ http://economistsview.typepad.com/economistsview/2006/08/va_hospitals_vs.html

▪ Within 10 years, the number of veterans receiving treatment had doubled to 5.3 Million people

▪ 30 Billion dollar budget in 2006

▪ High wait lists, but generally lower costs and higher patient satisfaction ratings than private hospitals.

Budget constraints

▪ The primary concern, long waittimes, is unable to be remedied, due to the lack of funding fromthe US government.

Current Budget

▪ http://www.va.gov/budget/products.asp

▪ http://www.healthcareitnews.com/blog/va-waitlist-fiasco-vista-should-not-be-thrown-out-bathwater

▪ Despite the massive budget increase (up nearly five and a half times from the 2006 number), veterans experience high wait times.

▪ This suggests Market Failure due to a lack of synergy in the departments