the VA gets a bad rap, but in general it's substantially more cost effect than private healthcare.
it all depends on the location, it's really no different than the private sector. shit for many years the Summerlin hospital in Vegas in one of the best zip codes was killing people like no tomorrow because of sepsis.
I'm lucky never needed to go to the dr much at all but the last time in 1997 I was at the emergency room in the philly suburbs where i grew up and they had me waiting for 18hrs before I was seen by a doctor.
I've been misdiagnosed and not diagnosed at all there. Not even gonna mention what the naval hospital wanted to do to me, but between you & I, those phuqers were going to try and kill me!
Initially after my injury, fortunately for me, they outsourced my care to the best specialist outside the VA. I did have the best care because of that.
Once I became part of the system again too much hurry up and wait.