JOURNALISM AND COMMENTARY
Veterans deserve accountability from private healthcare providers
On December 19 the House Committee on Veterans Affairs will have a crucial opportunity to reaffirm the intent of the VA MISSION Act: veterans’ healthcare should not only be easy to access but of the highest caliber wherever it is delivered.
Mar-a-Lago, Privatization, and the Media
On Saturday August 25th, VHPI steering committee member Paul Cox and I attended the 100th convention of the American Legion held in Minneapolis, Minnesota, as a convention delegate.
Starting from Scratch
For nearly 40 years I worked to create a network of healthcare resources that could help residents of Oakland, California who suffered substance abuse and mental health conditions.
VA’s Mental Health Crisis Draws Private Firms with Dubious Treatment
By: Jasper Craven & Suzanne Gordon • “A behind-the-scenes race by private companies, some offering questionable – or at least unproven – treatments for the signature injury of modern war: post-traumatic stress disorder.”
"The clearest representation of what we can accomplish collectively"
I’m writing this blog to explain why I was so delighted to accept the invitation to join the Advisory Board of the Veterans Healthcare Policy Institute.
Introducing our Advisory Board
I’m pleased to introduce the inaugural members of the Veterans Healthcare Policy Institute Advisory Board. Each of the following individuals brings their own unique perspectives, professional experiences, and personal insights to VHPI’s analysis and policy projects.
Power to Do Harm
Revelations that veterans healthcare policy was being dictated to the highest levels of the Trump Administration by a group of wealthy Mar-a-Lago patrons is horrifying — but not particularly surprising.
Unhealthy Skepticism
By: Suzanne Gordon & Jasper Craven • Major reports in U.S. health care publications say the private sector isn’t prepared to care for veteran patients. Why is Congress moving ahead with its plan anyway?
What Veterans Really Need
In the last month we saw more tragic news and unnecessarily salacious headlines. An Air Force veteran set himself on fire outside the Georgia state capitol on June 26.
The Veteran’s Voice
It has almost become a running joke on Capitol Hill. The topic of healthcare comes up and at least one or two sitting members of Congress argue — sometimes verbatim — ‘I can’t get pregnant, why should I have to pay for women’s health?’
Beyond the Rhetoric and Back to the Basics
With the congressional gridlock, relentless partisan warfare, and strife up and down Pennsylvania Avenue, you’d think it would be impossible for politicians,
Hedge-Fund Titan Greasing the Levers for Privatizing Veteran Health
By: Jasper Craven & Suzanne Gordon • Steven A. Cohen has hired lobbyists in D.C. while expanding his network of veteran mental health clinics. Is he ‘greasing the wheels of VHA privatization?’
Private-Sector Providers Are Not Ready to Care for Veterans
By: Suzanne Gordon • Major reports in U.S. health care publications say the private sector isn’t prepared to care for veteran patients. Why is Congress moving ahead with its plan anyway?
Fighting for Veterans' Health Care
On December 5, 2016 a group of northern California veterans, health care professionals and citizens met to discuss the challenges and imminent threats facing the Veterans Healthcare Administration (VHA).