When considering how to make U.S. healthcare more efficient and equitable, the Veterans Health Administration might hold the key, writes Dana Brown, director of health and economy at The Democracy Collaborative. In an op-ed in Nonprofit Quarterly on Jan. 24, Ms. Brown says the COVID-19 pandemic has shown the VHA's strengths might be transferable.
Ms. Brown argues that given that the VHA is funded by taxpayers, it should be able to operate free of market imperatives and instead focus on public-interest missions. Despite underfunding and mismanagement over the years, the VHA still delivers outcomes that match or exceed that of the private sector, she argues.
Because seeking profit is set aside, Ms. Brown says the VHA can focus on "entering patients’ needs, training and retaining a highly skilled and effective healthcare workforce, and advancing the science of medicine." Also, as an integrated system, moving resources, data and personnel between locations is far easier than in the private sector.
Amid hospital and practice closures, Ms. Brown argues the VHA should be empowered to acquire and run these health systems and expand its reach to populations who need care.