Idaho’s congressmen do nothing to stop efforts to privatize the VA | Opinion

My name is Raymond O’Dell. I am a Boise resident, a veteran, and I receive my medical care at the Boise VA.

For some time now there has been an effort by the federal government to privatize veterans’ healthcare. If you’ve been watching the news, you will see that The Trump Administration has put this effort in the fast lane. In other words, cripple VA healthcare to the point of failure in order to justify complete privatization.

You may ask, what is wrong with privatizing VA care? In Idaho it would be catastrophic. The Boise VA sees over 40,000 patients per year and provides veteran specific care related to conditions such as burn pit exposure, Agent Orange, PTSD and loss of limbs. This care extends from Salmon to Twin Falls and Ontario to Idaho Falls. The impact on Idaho communities cannot be overstated.

Idaho ranks 50th among states in the number of doctors per capita. Communities throughout Idaho are experiencing a severe shortage of primary care physicians, specialty physicians and nurses. This can be attributed to many factors, among them, Idaho reproductive rights laws, Medicaid cuts and the lack of medical schools in the state. This equates to Idaho citizens competing with one another in a literal healthcare abyss.

When you throw in 40,000-plus veterans who have lost their VA care, it further floods a severely flooded system. Community residents suddenly find themselves competing with not only their neighbors for care but also competing with thousands of veterans for care.

VA healthcare providers are oftentimes veterans themselves and understand the special needs of veterans. All VA healthcare providers are specially trained in the physical and psychological needs of the veterans they care for. This cannot be said of care outside of VA facilities.

Job loss is another consequence of privatization. The Boise VA employs approximately 1,500 Treasure Valley residents of which one third are veterans themselves. The healthcare cuts mentioned previously are more than likely to cause those employees to leave the state in order to find employment. The ones who stay will find themselves in a flooded local job market outside of healthcare.

The Boise VA is a teaching hospital and major training ground for physician residents, nurses and other healthcare professionals. Nationwide, a large percentage of healthcare professionals receive part of their training through VA programs, and the availability of residency slots is a major limiting factor in how many physicians can be trained, eliminating the VA would be a serious blow. Eliminating the Boise VA would seriously hinder the ability to train and maintain doctors in the Treasure Valley.

I have shared an awareness of all this information with our elected leaders from the Boise City mayor (who was very receptive) to our Idaho Congressional delegation and most everyone in between. Except for Mayor McLean’s Office, most were unconcerned and continue to give “lip service” and promises that are not reflected in their priorities or their votes. For example, Sen. Jim Risch would have you believe “Community Care” is the answer and blames Joe Biden, invoking partisanship when the problem is resources.

It is my position that they need to be proactive. By the time they become reactive it will be too late. I do not want our elected officials to be able to say “I had no idea this would happen.” Let it be known that they have been informed. What they do with that information will be on them.

Raymond O’Dell is a 22 year veteran of the U.S. Coast Guard and a retired DHS Inspector. Fully retired now, Raymond does volunteer work for the American Red Cross and heads up the efforts to establish a Boise chapter of the Veterans For Peace organization (VFP).