A federal audit’s determination that the patient wait times at the S. Huntington VA hospital are in the acceptable range is good news, but it sure doesn’t feel good.
A month to see a doctor is certainly better than dying while on a vile secret list, as happened in the recent VA scandal elsewhere. But troops coming home from war to a 60- or 90-day wait for an appointment does not meet our sense of the acceptable.
We ask troops to do terrible things, to take terrible risks, to kill and die, for their country. Health care is one of the few simple promises we offer in return. In the richest country in the world, that should mean the very best care in the world.
The current scandal happened under President Obama, but this is bipartisan neglect. President George W. Bush, who started our recent wars, also sought to slash the VA. A downtown clinic was merged with the S. Huntington hospital, no doubt increasing its patient burden.
We urge you to contact Congressman Mike Capuano and Sens. Markey and Warren, and urge them to fulfill our basic promise to our veterans.