Recent headlines about Walter Reed Army Medical Center have brought the military health care system under scrutiny. Yet despite problems with access, The Department of Veteran Affairs’ system of care, (which doesn’t run Walter Reed) turns out, in study after study, to outperform the rest of the American health care system by virtually all measures. These include patient satisfaction, patient safety, prevention, disease management, use of evidence-based medicine, information technology, and cost effectiveness.

What lessons does the VA’s performance offer for addressing America’s health care crisis? Should access to VA health care be expanded to more veterans, many of whom are denied previously promised benefits, and perhaps to their families as well? How feasible would it be to replicate the VA model of care for the general population, including the uninsured?

This event, which was carried on C-SPAN, produced a lively debate, featuring Phil Longman, author of Best Care Anywhere: Why VA Health Care is Better than Yours (PoliPointPress, 2007) and Dr. Kenneth Kizer, former Undersecretary for Health in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, on this timely and provocative topic.

Video of this event is available at right, while an MP3 audio recording can be downloaded below. To learn more about Longman's new book, Best Care Anywhere, please click here.