To the Editor:
I sent the following letter to the VA in response to your excellent article published Feb. 13, “VA doctor goes beyond the call for Island veterans.”
If not for Dr. Monty VanBeber, there would be no VA on Martha’s Vineyard.
Dukes County is the poorest county in Massachusetts. Some 400 veterans have been identified on Island, while Massachusetts has counted over 1,000 as residing here. Obviously many veterans here do not have access to the VA.
Health Net is such a disaster that doctors are dropping out of the provider program due to the difficulty of obtaining authorization to provide service to veterans and slow pay for services rendered.
Toni and Kim helped me get authorization for occupational therapy that required two phone calls to Health Net and almost an hour on the phone. Bad enough, but the wound care surgeon had called for authorization over a month ago. The Martha’s Vineyard Hospital therapy office has called and faxed multiple times, to no avail.
Health Net has a poor reputation as an insurance provider, and several doctors have said they won’t accept Health Net insurance, which makes one wonder why the VA would pick them to administer this program when they can’t administer their own insurance business well.
All that said, the VA saved my life with a quadruple-bypass operation last February. I am very appreciative for the excellent care over twenty-some years. Please let me know how I can assist you to help other veterans. All veterans should get the excellent care that I have received.
Jay C. Banker
Edgartown
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