Veterans Affairs Is Failing on Suicide Prevention (Guest: Sally Pipes)

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The VA highlights why Americans should fear transitioning towards a single-payer health care system.
The latest report from the Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Veterans Affairs shows that more than one in ten staffers have yet to complete mandatory suicide prevention training. Sally Pipes, CEO, president, and health care policy fellow at the Pacific Research Institute discusses the report and why the VA needs to move to a voucher system quickly.
 
 
 
Our veterans put their lives on the line to protect the freedoms America stands for. They deserve the best when it comes to health care. Sadly, this isn’t the case, especially when it comes to mental health and crisis care. Veterans get care through the Veterans Health Administration, a health system managed by the government.  It provides a glimpse of care under a socialized medicine model.
 
On this episode, Pipes discusses:
 
- The October report from the Inspector General and what it says about mental health care
- The prevalence of suicide among vets
- How VA care functions
- Long waits and why vouchers for private care could provide the best solution
 
Pipes has written about VA care in many articles and speaks on the issue.  Two recent articles include:
 
The VA is Failing America’s Heroes - Again
Dec 4, 2022, News-Press
 
 
Veteran Suicides Testify to a Health Care Travesty
Nov 1, 2022, Washington Examiner

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AnneMarie Schieber
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AnneMarie Schieber
AnneMarie Schieber brings decades of experience as an investigative news reporter to the forefront as host of Health Care News from The Heartland Institute. Along with hosting the podcast, Schieber is the managing editor of Health Care News, Heartland's monthly newspaper for health care reform. Before her work in the liberty movement, Schieber spent several decades at television stations in Michigan, Minnesota, New York and Pennsylvania. The Associated Press awarded her the top honor of "Best Individual Reporting" for being the first reporter to call attention to government efforts to subsidize spending by increasing automobile fines, typically on low-income motorists.
Veterans Affairs Is Failing on Suicide Prevention (Guest: Sally Pipes)