Veterans Health Care: Lessons for a National Health Care System
Authors: Charles B. Smith, Mark Wolcott
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1991)

Editorials1 December 1991Veterans Health Care: Lessons for a National Health Care SystemCharles B. Smith, MD, Mark Wolcott, MDCharles B. Smith, MDSearch for more papers by this author, Mark Wolcott, MDSearch for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-115-11-907 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptAmericans are becoming increasingly concerned about the status of our health care system. Rising expenditures for health care have not been matched with improved satisfaction, and the increasing number of uninsured has focused public attention on the need to increase access to health care. Recent surveys indicate that most Americans now favor some form of universal health insurance (1), and even medical organizations, for a long time the defender of the status quo, are now discussing the need to improve access to health care. The American Medical Association (AMA) has entered the debate with its proposal "Health Access America" (2),...References1. BlendonDonelan RK. The public and the emerging debate over national health insurance. N Engl J Med. 1990;323:208-12. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar2. Tupper C. Dreams, dollars and deeds. The sacred fire and health access America. JAMA. 1990;264:1150-2. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. . Universal access to health care in America: a moral and medical imperative. Ann Intern Med. 1990; 112:637-61. LinkGoogle Scholar4. Ginzberg E. A hard look at cost containment. N Engl J Med. 1987;316:1151-4. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. . The role of the Department of Veterans Affairs in geriatric care. Ann Intern Med. 1991; 115:896-900. LinkGoogle Scholar6. HollingsworthBondy JP. The role of Veterans Affairs hospitals in the health care system. N Engl J Med. 1990;322:1851-7. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar7. Pear R. President to seek $23 billion saving in medicare costs; Hospitals are target. N.Y. Times. 3 Feb 1991:1. Google Scholar8. Report of the AFCR Public Policy Committee: current issues of public policy. Clin Res. 1991;38:28-33. Google Scholar9. LonerganKrevans EJ. A national agenda for research on aging. N Engl J Med. 1991;324:1825-8. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar10. RubensteinJosephsonWielandEnglishSayreKane LKGPJR. Effectiveness of a geriatric evaluation unit. N Engl J Med. 1984;311:1664-70. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar11. Greenberg D. The Veterans' medical empire. Lancet. 1990;335: 1391-2. CrossrefGoogle Scholar12. MeyerNardoneProchazka TDA. Congressional impact on ambulatory care. VA Practitioner. Aug 1990:76-84. Google Scholar13. Iglehart J. The Veterans Administration medical care system faces an uncertain future. N Engl J Med. 1985;313:1168-72. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar14. WoolhandlerHimmelstein SD. The deteriorating administrative efficiency of the U.S. health care system. N Engl J Med. 1991 ;324:1253-8. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar15. . Report to the Committee on Budget from the Committee on Veterans Affairs. Budget Proposal for FY 1991. 2 March 1990:13. Printed for the use of the Committee on Veterans Affairs of the House of Representatives by the U.S. Government Printing Office. Google Scholar16. FuchsHahn VJ. How can Canada do it? A comparison of expenditures for physicians' services in the United States and Canada. N Engl J Med. 1990;323:884-90. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar This content is PDF only. To continue reading please click on the PDF icon. Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited ByPatterns and Determinants of Health Services Use and Mortality after VA Nursing Home CareVeterans Who Return to Hospitals Again and AgainTreatment of patients with acute myocardial infarction at a veterans affairs (VA) hospital and a non-VA hospitalPrescription drug costs as a reason for changing physiciansDrug Dependence Treatment within the Department of Veterans Affairs: Emerging Issues 1 December 1991Volume 115, Issue 11Page: 907-909KeywordsHealth careHealth insuranceHealth surveysVeteran care Issue Published: 1 December 1991 PDF DownloadLoading ...