I have often said that if you want to see how government-run health care would work in the United States you just need to look in two places: the reservations and the Veterans Administration. Getting timely health care has been a serious issue in both places for decades. Clinics on the reservation are often open part time, and patients begin lining up days earlier in hopes of getting assistance. The VA takes forever to approve claims for benefits. Walter Reed Hospital, the best hospital in the VA system, is often noted for substandard facilities and equipment.
I know a lot of you have received lifesaving care through the Veteran's Administration. Care that you likely would not have received without that benefit. But there is no doubt that the system is severely broken. I have heard many stories of people waiting months if not years to get the care they needed. Claims for benefits have taken months to be approved, leaving people without medical care, housing assistance, and more much needed help.
That is changing under this administration. Last year alone, the VA spent $5 billion to repair facilities that had become run down and almost unusable. This is above and beyond normal maintenance, which also has been reformed so that there are enough staff and money to take care of things before they get that bad. The VA has also opened 39 new healthcare clinics since January of last year.
The VA has also been able to reduce the backlog of claims for disability compensation and pension claims by 74%. The backlog had increased by 24% under the Biden administration. A claim is designated as being backlogged if a decision has not been reached within 125 days of being submitted. In 2013, the backlog reached 611,000 claims. While it was reduced during the first Trump administration, it ballooned to over 400,000 claims under Biden. Now 88% of claims are handled within 125 days. One of the biggest reasons was to stop the endless cycle of asking for more information. If the questions are answered and the is medical documentation to confirm the answers, the claim is approved.
Similar changes have been made to the Interior Department's handling of healthcare on the reservations. But there is still a lot of work to do in both areas. The Trump administration is cutting through red tape to get clinics built and medical staff hired. Simply, these issues have been made a priority. The people that handle the programs have been given the authority to make decisions that benefit the people.
You think these advances would be something to celebrate. You won't be surprised to learn that people suffering from TDS are not celebrating it. They just cannot have anything that is good attached to Donald Trump's name.
