When news broke about the wait-time scandal at Veterans Affairs health facilities around the nation, politicos on the Hill vowed to “do something” about it. By July, the VA secretary had been fired, Congress had passed a Band-Aid, and all was on a path to being fixed. Well, not so fast. USA Today reports, “More than 600,000 veterans – 10% of all the Veterans Affairs patients – continue to wait a month or more for appointments at VA hospitals and clinics.” There has been some improvement, though. “For instance, the VA substantially cut the overall number of worst-case scenarios for veterans – those who had waited more than four months for an appointment. That figure dropped from 120,000 in May to 23,000 in October.” But here’s the kicker: “Much of that improvement occurred because patients received care from private providers.” And it’s still far from satisfactory. “The new data show that dozens of hospitals and clinics leave a quarter or more of all their patients waiting 30 days or more for an appointment.” It’s going to take moving heaven and earth to reform this bureaucracy. More…