Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Bernie Sanders hit back at Joe Biden for questioning progressive agenda

[TexasTowelie]

107. My brother receives health care through the VA system

Last edited Sat Jul 6, 2019, 03:11 AM - Edit history (1)

and it is not Cadillac health care. He has diabetes and his A1C at his last appointment was running at 12.3 (5.0 to 7.0 is considered controlled). He received no diabetes education and the doctors have not spoken with him about increasing his insulin dosages which I know are far too low since I've been insulin dependent for 17 years. For his neuropathy, he is taking gabapentin instead of other medications like Lyrica. The reason why all of this is occurring is because the VA is trying to control their costs. Taking more insulin or receiving more effective medications costs money. I've provided more education about diabetes to my brother than the VA has. They didn't even tell him to skip his insulin injections when he goes in for his blood workups and he could have had a hypoglycemic reaction while driving which could cause him to pass out and get into a wreck.

Then there is the issue that doctors are constantly quitting the VA because of low compensation. He has had three different primary care physicians and two different psychiatrists within the past three years. There are also significant waiting lists for most types of non-emergency procedures. When he does go to his primary care physician his visits are only 15 minutes. The physicians and the psychiatrists do not coordinate with each other even though they share the same office space (although I also know that HIPAA may be involved). I had to instruct my brother that he has to communicate what each of the two providers was prescribing to avoid medication conflicts.

My brother also has sleeping problems. I told him that he needs to speak with the doctors to see if he can get prescribed a light sedative such as trazadone. He is also taking Effexor which has substantial side effects--I was on it for about five days after I attempted suicide five years ago and the side effects from that brief exposure affected me for the next six months. I would lay in bed unable to sleep for hours and I had auditory hallucinations such as hearing a radio playing in the background. Effexor is also addictive and I wouldn't recommend that it be prescribed to anyone.

While having care through the VA is better than no health care, it certainly does not measure up to the quality of care when I had insurance provided through my employer. While I sometimes had to fight with my insurance company a few times to get the care that I needed, I was able to get things approved within a few days. I doubt that the VA could ever be as responsive based upon what I've seen occur with my brother.