Respectfully, V.A. health care is dictated by cost savings, merely by fact of allotted budget. Before proceeding with the V.A. over private care (in any area of care), I would have to compare their short/long term outcomes of offered procedure(s) with private care options. (Combat-related mental health care and orthopedics may be among a few exceptions of advanced care since it specific to unique patient needs not regularly addressed privately. By the way, I am not a combat vet but rather sought to keep peace during the Cold War era.)

If V.A. care is the only health care someone has available, there is at least some comfort in knowing that for “many years [as you put it]” this would seemingly suggest consistency in procedure, even if not the best available per individual patient need. However, high V.A. doctor turn-over rates may negate the notion of a doctor having done a sizable number of hernia operations.

Reiterating my major point, the length of time the V.A. has done a procedure one way (based on cost savings) does not indicate anything of rate of complications, which may or may not be better or worse than other procedural options privately developed over the same period the V.A. has been doing hernia surgeries.

I did not even bother to inquire of V.A. care for my hernia operation since I have insurance for private care. For me, having 3 primary care V.A. doctors in the last 5 years was enough of a factor.

Again, most respectfully, JHue.