Don't ignore veterans in health care debate.

In the months ahead Congress and the Administration will be focusing on the nation's health care crisis, an issue voters in the most recent election put near the top of the list of things that concerned them the most.

To be sure, politicians have paid a lot of attention to health care problems in recent years. State Medicaid budgets are stretched dangerously thin. Medicare costs are out of control, and the Census Bureau reports there are nearly 45 million uninsured Americans. But in spite of all the attention paid to such an important issue, the role played by the Department of Veterans Affairs health care system has been largely missing from the discussion.

It just does not make sense to ignore the nation's largest integrated health care network and the millions of veterans it serves each year.

To begin with, the VA is a recognized leader in providing safe, quality health care. In fact, the VA leads the nation in health care quality for managed care organizations.

The VA consistently sets the benchmark for patient satisfaction in inpatient and outpatient services, according to the American Customer Satisfaction index developed by the University of Michigan Business School.

The Institute of Medicine has recognized the VA as one of the best in the nation for its integrated health information system.

The VA provides a wide range of specialized care tailored to meet the unique needs of veterans. Spinal cord injury medicine, blind rehabilitation, amputee programs, prosthetics, post-traumatic stress disorder treatment, mental health services, and long-term care are at the very heart of the VA health care system. Unquestionably, the VA does better at providing those kinds of services more cost effectively than the private sector.

What does that have to do with the larger national health care picture? Specialized services provided by the VA, such as acute and long-term care, actually subsidize Medicare and Medicaid programs at great savings to the Medicare Trust Fund and to taxpayers.

Furthermore, the VA health care system can help relieve the stress on the states, which pick up the cost of caring for the poor. For example, an analysis conducted by Missouri's state auditor found that the state could have saved at least $5.5 million if veterans who received benefits through Medicaid had instead received care from the VA. Missouri is home to more than 562,000 veterans. In 2003 more than 116,000 veterans received health care in the state's VA facilities.

The top-notch research done at VA facilities benefits all Americans, not just veterans. VA medical, prosthetic, and health services researchers have received Nobel Prizes. Major breakthroughs pioneered by the VA are invaluable to the entire health care profession. The VA also leads the nation in geriatric research, education, and training and provides long-term care for more than 105,000 veterans each year.

In addition to these notable accomplishments, VA medical facilities are a strategically located national resource. By statute, the VA serves as a backup to the Department of Defense and the National Disaster Medical Systems in times of national emergency. This so-called fourth mission for the VA is especially important while the nation is at war and remains at risk for terrorist attacks that could injure or sicken thousands.

As the debate over national health care issues continues, this country cannot afford to ignore the hundreds of hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, and other facilities that care for America's proud veterans. In purely material terms, the nation can ill afford to lose the nearly 200,000 dedicated health care professionals and support staff who provide this high-quality care and contribute to the economic stability of communities across the country.