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Intro:
1c- Pass this BC it will encourage competition within the US W- TTB we will respecting the principles of free market capitalism D- Steve Chapman, Editorial Writer, Chicago Tribune, June 2013
The effort to prevent direct sales comes from existing car dealers, who like the arrangement they have. They claim to be trying to prevent "unfair competition," but the competition they prevent looks unfair only to those who profit from a protected market (a market w/o competition). !- We all have to remember that a fundamental part of competition is to allow consumers to buy what they want however they choose to do so. D- Economic Consultant Gerald Bodisch released a report on the Department of Justice in 2009: Performed a meta-analysis of the economic effects of laws that prohibit the direct sale concluded that it harms consumers and the economy. !- We must pass this bill to encourage more of those direct sales and make sure that we can stimulate the economy and respect competition within the United States --competition will only benefit us. 2c- Pass this BC it will help consumers W- TTB citizens won’t be forced to pay for added accessories D- Francine Lafontaine, Director of the Bureau of Economics, Federal Trade Commission, May 2015 (Like Tesla,) Elio Motors will pursue a direct customer sales plan to keep down the price of its new vehicle at around $6,800. D- According to The official website of Elio Motors Most auto dealers add car bundles liked added heaters, leather seats, and so on, in order to make a profit. This drives car prices up past what they’d be if consumers could buy from manufacturers. At Elio, you can add accessories after you purchase the car for that base price. !- Emily Badger, The Washington Post, April 1, 2014 Many people can’t afford cars; but having unreliable transportation leads to an increased chance of losing one’s job. This means not only are people without a job unable to get cars bc of how overpriced they’ve become, but without cars, those people are going to have a harder time getting and keeping a job. In 2011, the number of people with no car and no reliable public transportation was 700,000; that’s 700,000 people at risk of losing their jobs simply because cars are too expensive to buy. Pass this, and change their lives. 1-
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-06-20/news/ct-oped-0620-chapman-20130620_1_tesla-motors-car-dealers-car-costs The effort to prevent direct sales comes from existing car dealers, who like the arrangement they have. They claim to be trying to prevent "unfair competition," but the competition they prevent looks unfair only to those who profit from a protected market. https://www.justice.gov/atr/economic-effects-state-bans-direct-manufacturer-sales-car-buyers With dealer networks being rationalized as part of cost-cutting initiatives, direct manufacturer sales to car buyers may present an additional opportunity to lower distribution costs. Such sales might range from consumers' simply ordering assembled vehicles of their choice directly from automakers to a scenario along the lines of the "Dell Direct" build-to-order model that revolutionized the personal computer production and sale process. GM initiated a build-to-order sales model in Brazil for its Chevrolet Celta economy car over eight years ago. In 2008, the Celta was among the sales leaders in Brazil.(3) At the time of the Celta's introduction, an auto analyst said that build-to-order could result in "spectacular improvements in the company's competitiveness and profitability."(4) In the United States, however, direct manufacturer auto sales are prohibited in almost every state by franchise laws requiring that new cars be sold only by dealers. These bans on direct manufacturer sales are part of a broad array of state laws that bar manufacturer ownership of dealers and regulate entry and exit of dealers through territorial restrictions and provisions on dealer termination. Analysis of the economic effects of these laws has led some to conclude that they harm consumers and should be eliminated.(5) The focus here is more narrow – state laws banning direct manufacturer sales, since they may be curtailing development of a more cost-effective method of auto distribution.(6) 2- https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-09-22/tesla-lawsuit-claims-michigan-direct-sales-ban-unconstitutional Tesla eschews the traditional franchise dealership model, saying that electric cars -- as a new technology -- are best sold to consumers directly from the manufacturer, in part because consumers have so many questions about safety, batteries and how to charge their vehicles.
"The prescriptions that we’ve been hearing for the last few years – this is philanthropy, the news, at the federal level, and in the academic research – the dominant ideas have been about improving and investing in transit," says the Urban Institute's Rolf Pendall, one of the lead investigators of the study, along with Casey Dawkins and Evelyn Blumenberg. "And I think that’s imbalanced. I do think that low-income neighborhoods need more and better transit, for sure. But I think we have to be able to talk about cars, too. "It’s puzzling to me that we can’t. That we haven’t more." Families with cars in the Moving to Opportunity program were twice as likely to find a job and four times as likely to stay employed, a finding that's consistent with another common reality for the low-income: Unreliable transportation is one of the primary reasons why they lose their jobs. Both car and transit access had a positive effect on earnings, although the effect was much larger for car ownership. (Wash Po 2011) https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/is-it-a-problem-that-so-many-americans-dont-have-cars/2011/09/08/gIQAhVpICK_blog.html?utm_term=.9fdb90e39aff But is this really a problem in any way? Don’t people have other options besides cars? Well, sort of. For one thing, some 700,000 of these zero-vehicle households don’t actually have access to transit options, suggesting that there are sizeable gaps in metro transit systems that could stand to be filled in. But set that aside. Another relevant fact is that the typical household without a car can only reach a small fraction of the jobs in the metro area.
NEG - AUTOMOBILE SALES Intro: The Representatives on the Affirmation have been DRIVING me crazy with their arguments:
W- TTB it leads to unfair competition by large corporations D- Business Reporter Dana Hull, Bloomberg, Sept. 22, 2016
Michigan passed an amendment in 2014 in its law regulating motor vehicle manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers and dealers designed to favor the state’s automakers and franchise dealers. They have franchise laws that were put in place to prevent manufacturers from opening stores that would compete directly with mom and pop dealers. !- States like Michigan are prohibiting direct-to-consumer automobile sales for the sole purpose of making sure that their other small, family oriented businesses aren’t overpowered by larger corporations like Tesla. This started in the 1930s-era… D- Writer Elaine Povich, Pew Charitable Trusts, December 2015 Laws were created that aimed at prohibiting big manufacturers like Ford and General Motors from selling directly to consumer. The fear was the big manufacturers would undercut the dealers on prices, drive them out of business and lessen competition. !- Jason Nazar, Forbes Magazine, September 2013, Small businesses like the ones endangered by this bill, employ over 50% of the US workforce. If you wish to endanger millions of jobs, that’s on you _&_, but I’m going to negate. 2c- Fail this BC dealerships offer an economic buffer for the auto industry w- TTB they are able to sustain a healthy car flow even during economic downturns D- According to CEO of TRED Automotive Dealer, Grant Feek, August 2013, Explained that Direct to Consumer auto sales are dangerous for car manufacturers because of the potential decline in auto sales. Currently, auto manufacturers like General Motors and Ford can keep producing cars even when they are not selling well, without having to lay off any workers. This is because dealerships are able to buy cars and hold on to them to sell later, serving as a buffer and allowing for a strong auto production industry, regardless of the status quo of the economy. !- According to United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, in December of 2016, The auto industry employs over 4 million American workers. Moreover, according to The Center for Automotive Research, in 2015 The automotive industry impacts over 7.25 million US jobs. And the National Automotives Dealer’s Association, 2012, Explained Auto sales take up 15% of US retail sales. !- strong auto means strong economy and solid jobs. Passing this puts all at risk. 2c- Fail this BC we need to adhere to the constitution W- TTB states are allowed certain powers under the 10th amendment D- Cornell University Law School 10th: The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people. !- As long as states aren’t in violation of the Commerce Clause…. D- Cornell University Law School ...which prohibits states from passing legislation that discriminates against or excessively burdens interstate commerce. !- ...there is no reason as to why we should not allow them to prohibit the direct sale of automobiles to consumers. It’s their right and we should not take it away--they understand the risk of having unfair competition from the large manufacturers. The states that don’t prohibit this understand it as well and choose not to prohibit it. 1-
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-09-22/tesla-lawsuit-claims-michigan-direct-sales-ban-unconstitutional Michigan passed an amendment in 2014 in its law regulating motor vehicle manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers and dealers. The bill, signed by Michigan Governor Rick Snyder, was an “anti-Tesla” amendment, designed to favor the state’s automakers and franchise dealers, the company said in the suit. Tesla owners in Michigan currently have to travel to Cleveland or Columbus, in Ohio, to get their vehicles serviced. Instead of dealerships with large lots, Tesla operates stores in highly visible retail locations where there is a lot of foot traffic. General Motors Co., Ford Motor Co. and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV have operated under franchise laws that have been on the books for decades and were originally put in place to prevent manufacturers from opening stores that would compete directly with mom-and-pop dealers. http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2015/12/16/for-tesla-a-fight-to-sell-in-some-states The reasons for the restrictions vary, but they all stem from 1930s-era laws that were aimed at prohibiting big manufacturers like Ford and General Motors from selling directly to consumers and bypassing dealerships. The fear was the big manufacturers would undercut the dealers on prices, drive them out of business and lessen competition. Jason Nazar, September 9, 2013 http://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonnazar/2013/09/09/16-surprising-statistics-about-small-businesses/#7f450493078c Over 50% of the working population (120 million individuals) works in a small business 2- https://medium.com/@RudiThun/don-t-bet-on-direct-to-consumer-automotive-retail-just-yet-c6d9fe0c5d08#.jzuh3x6cp Tred CEO Grant Feek does a nice job breaking down the potential shortcomings of the Tesla direct-to-consumer model in a post from August 19, 2013: While manufacturers want to keep car factories cranking as often as possible, consumer demand for cars can be lumpy and difficult to predict. As a result, car makers depend on franchise dealerships to offer a steady sales channel and inventory buffer between their uniform supply and the end consumer’s erratic demand. If Tesla wants to sell 100,000 cars annually (or one million), it will need to transition from a “pull” a la carte retailer to a “push” wholesaler, and to leverage the inventory buffer that franchises provide. https://www.engadget.com/2014/07/17/tesla-motors-us-sales/ You've likely guessed already, right? It's the auto dealers associations. Not only is the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) number 19 on the top all-time political donations list, but sales from auto dealers account for about 15 percent of all retail sales in the US (according to 2012 data from NADA). When an industry accounts for more than one-seventh of the country's total retail sales, that industry has some political clout. When that industry also has a heavy-hitting political lobby arm in Washington, DC, it's far more powerful. 2- https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/commerce_clause The Commerce Clause refers to Article 1, Section 8, Clause 3 of the U.S. Constitution, which gives Congress the power “to regulate commerce with foreign nations, and among the several states, and with the Indian tribes.” The Constitution enumerates certain powers for the federal government. The Tenth Amendment provides that any powers that are not delegated to Congress by the Constitution are reserved for the states. Congress has often used the Commerce Clause to justify exercising legislative power over the activities of states and their citizens, leading to significant and ongoing controversy regarding the balance of power between the federal government and the states. The Commerce Clause has historically been viewed as both a grant of congressional authority and as a restriction on the regulatory authority of the States. The “dormant” Commerce Clause refers to the prohibition, implicit in the Commerce Clause, against states passing legislation that discriminates against or excessively burdens interstate commerce. Of particular importance here, is the prevention of protectionist state policies that favor state citizens or businesses at the expense of non-citizens conducting business within that state. In West Lynn Creamery, for example, the Supreme Court found that a Massachusetts state tax on milk products, in conjunction with a subsidy program for in-state dairy farmers, functionally violated the dormant commerce clause as it impeded interstate commercial activity by discriminating against non-Massachusetts citizens. The meaning of the word "commerce" is a source of much of the controversy. The Constitution does not explicitly define the word. Some argue that it refers simply to trade or exchange, while others claim that the founders intended to describe more broadly commercial and social intercourse between citizens of different states. https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/tenth_amendment The Tenth Amendment helps to define the concept of federalism, the relationship between Federal and state governments. As Federal activity has increased, so too has the problem of reconciling state and national interests as they apply to the Federal powers to tax, to police, and to regulations such as wage and hour laws, disclosure of personal information in recordkeeping systems, and laws related to strip-mining. The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people. http://smallbusiness.chron.com/difference-between-franchise-dealership-independent-dealership-10015.html Franchise Dealerships Dealerships with names such as "Billy Bob Ford" or "John Doe Mazda" are franchise dealerships. These dealerships have a contract with an automobile manufacturer that allows them to sell its products. Independent Dealerships Dealerships with names such as "Jim's Used Cars" or "Jack's Auto World" are independent dealers. An independent dealership generally has one or more locations where it holds its inventory. These dealers have no affiliation or contract with any manufacturer. Merriam Webster- Free Market: an economy operating by free competition Merriam Webster- Capitalism: an economic system characterized by private or corporate ownership of capital goods, by investments that are determined by private decision, and by prices, production, and the distribution of goods that are determined mainly by competition in a free market http://www.wsj.com/articles/tesla-weighs-new-challenge-to-state-direct-sales-bans-1459189069 For now, Tesla is banking on a combination of new legislation, pending dealer applications and other factors to open doors to selling directly in Arizona, Michigan, Texas, Connecticut, Utah and West Virginia. But the company said it is ready to argue in federal court using the coffin case if necessary. Tesla doesn’t have independent dealers and instead sells through its own stores and through the Internet. To date, its sales have been a fraction of the volumes that major automakers sell, but it aims to boost annual sales nearly 10 fold to 500,000 by 2020. Being able to widely sell the Model 3—expected to be priced at about $35,000 before tax credits—is an important step in taking on brands as ubiquitous as Chevrolet.
AFF - TSA Funding Intro:
w- TTB the amount of passengers needing to be screened has steadily increased D- Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey on May 18, 2016
Between the years of FY2011 and 2016, TSA funding has decreased by nearly $250 million even though the number of passengers screened has increased. In 2015, TSA screened more than 708 million passengers, and according to… D- Reporter Bart Jansen, USA Today, May 23, 2016 The number of passengers is expected to rise this summer by 8%, and as D- Business Reporter Benjamin Zhang, The Business Insider, May 2016 says that The number of TSA screeners have dropped 12% since 2011. The TSA blames this chronic understaffing on a series of cuts to its budget. !- Without this money, it will be impossible for the TSA to continue to try and keep everyone safe. They are short-staffed, and giving them this money will not only keep our constituents safe, but it will create more jobs for good willed people, and that’s what we’re all about--pass this bill. 2c- Pass this BC this will decrease racial profiling w- D- Jeff Plungis, Bloomberg Business, June 2013 The TSA spent $878 million dollars on a behavior-detection program… that turned out to be completely useless BC it targeted specific races. D- Senior Reporter Jack Jenkins, Think Progress, 2016 Muslims, Sikhs, and people of Middle Eastern descent are reporting incidents of racial and religious profiling while trying to board planes,due to anti-Islamic discrimination. Security officials have been accused of unfairly profiling, questioning, searching, and detaining passengers simply for “looking” Muslim. D- Jason Harrington, The Guardian, June 2015 But despite the long lines and extensive checks, the failure rate for the TSA is at 95%. -- This is bc their detection relies on prejudice; gi !- This program is failing because it is based on discriminatory searches. Passing this bill would allow the TSA to create and reform behavior-detection programs with the $10 million dollars which will in turn decrease their failure rate. Pass this bill. https://www.booker.senate.gov/?p=press_release&id=425 TSA funding has decreased by nearly $250 million since 2011 even though the number of passengers screened has increased. In 2015, TSA screened more than 708 million passengers – an increase of 40.7 million compared to 2014. In a letter to the Senate Appropriations Committee, the senators called for additional funding to help ensure adequate staffing levels, reinforce screening efforts, and help expand security training programs. "Even while threats to transportation have grown, making TSA’s mission increasingly complex, TSA’s annual budget has gone from $7.688 billion in FY2011 to $7.44 billion in FY2016 – a decrease of $248 million or 3.23 percent over this 5 year period,” the lawmakers wrote. "Tragically, we were reminded all too recently by the attack on the Brussels Metro and airport earlier this year that protecting our airports and surface transportation through substantial security measures is vital to protecting our citizens, and in light of this urge that funding is restored-not reduced.” "Recent reports indicate that some TSA security lines have stretched for several hours, in extreme cases, causing individuals to miss their flights,” the senators continued in the letter. "Security is absolutely paramount and these long wait times indicate not only a discomfort to our constituents, but more importantly a severe lack of security resources at some of the busiest airports in the country. For this reason, we urge continued funding to ensure TSA has an adequate number of staff and resources to meet the needs of the traveling public.” http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2016/05/23/airports-ticket-fees-should-fund-tsa-not-deficit-reduction/84793024/ The lines are resulting from a confluence of more travelers, fewer TSA officers and tighter security. TSA projected 8% more travelers this summer, while airlines expect a 4% gain. With about 42,500 officers, TSA has about 5,400 fewer than three years ago. And officers are scrutinizing bags more closely after an inspector general report last year found that screeners often failed to detect weapons http://www.businessinsider.com/why-tsa-airport-lines-so-long-2016-5 While the number of people flying has surged, the number of security screeners has not. In fact, according to The New York Times' Ron Nixon, the number of TSA screeners have dropped 12% since 2011. In 2011 the TSA employed 47,630 screeners. By this year that number had fallen to 41,928. The TSA blames this chronic understaffing on a series of cuts to its budget. In 2011 the agency operated with a $7.6 billion budget. In 2015, however, its fund had shrunk to roughly $7.3 billion. To help alleviate the problem, Congress gave the TSA an additional $34 million in funding this month. Eight million dollars will go toward hiring 768 new screeners, while $26 million will pay for additional part-time hours and overtime. But this may not be enough. The lack of available of workers has gotten so bad that major airports in Atlanta, New York City, Phoenix, and Charlotte, North Carolina, have threatened to bring in private-security contractors if the TSA is unable to improve its performance. In addition, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in Seattle has already hired 90 private-security screeners to supplement the TSA. NEG - TSA Intro:
w- TTB the TSA cannot resolve their systematic inefficiencies with only $100 million dollars D- According to Bart Jansen, USA Today, May 23, 2016 The TSA already receives 7.5 billion dollars annually. D- According to Dan Reed, Forbes Magazine, June 2015 The long lines are mainly due to too much intervention at airports. TSA agents often inspect bags and items, taking a great deal of time, in addition to all of the scans. D- Jason Harrington, The Guardian, June 2015 But despite the long lines and extensive checks, the failure rate for the TSA is at 95%. !- This bill proposes two extremely hopeful goals that are simply not going to hold up to reality. If the TSA was able to cut down lines substantially by decreasing the rigor of individual searches will in no way decrease the failure rate, and increasing search rigor will not decrease line times. The TSA needs to structurally change, and throwing money at a fire hoping for it to stop will not work. 2c- Fail this BC the TSA wouldn’t spend this money effectively, anyway w- TTB their issues lie with allocation rather than funding insufficiency D- Jeff Plungis, Bloomberg Business, June 2013 The TSA spent $878 million dollars on a behavior-detection program… that turned out to be completely useless. This is because TSA program funding is unbelievably inefficient and poorly overseen. !- So much so that, According to Kelly Dickerson, Bloomberg Business Insider, May 2015 One of the main reasons this program was ineffective was because it was found to be heavily racially biased, often disproportionately targeting African American travelers. Before we give another drop of tax-money to the TSA, we must demand equal treatment for all and better allocation of the funds that have already been appropriated. 1- http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2016/05/23/airports-ticket-fees-should-fund-tsa-not-deficit-reduction/84793024/ Airports are urging Congress to stop diverting $1.25 billion a year in airline ticket fees for deficit reduction rather than providing the money to the Transportation Security Administration, which is struggling with long lines at checkpoints. Congress voted in 2014 to use 60 cents for deficit reduction from the $5.60 security fee on each flight segment. The diversion totals $1.25 billion this year, which would represent a significant amount for the TSA, which has a $7.5 billion budget. http://www.forbes.com/sites/danielreed/2015/06/08/the-tsas-95-failure-rate-be-carefull-what-you-ask-for-when-demanding-that-congress-do-something/#545df1fa1c6b Of course, he didn’t deserve to be in the position from which he was fired either. Last week Carrway was “reassigned” from his job as acting administrator of the Transportation Security Administration. That came in response to intense criticism of the TSA following release of a report showing that it failed to stop 95 percent of the weapons that inspectors attempted to sneak through airport screening stations as part of their regular audit program. One of the very first things that happened after the TSA was created was that its employees were not merely allowed to form a union, they were required to be members of the American Federation of Government Employees, an organization also known as the field staff for the Democratic Party. That this happened with one Republican, George W. Bush, in the White House and another, Dennis Hastert, running the House, and with Republicans holding 49 of the seats in the Senate (enough to block any legislation they didn’t like) is one of the more dumbfounding acts of political cowardice in the last 50 years. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jun/07/tsa-failures-bombs-tests The recent news of Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents missing 95% of covert tests by the Red Team – the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) group that purposely tries to sneak explosives past security – reveals a lot about the TSA, but it doesn’t mean your flight is in any more danger than it’s ever been. 2- https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2013-06-05/tsa-chat-down-program-not-objective-audit-concludes The U.S. Transportation Security Administration can’t justify expanding a $878 million behavior-detection program because it isn’t objective, a U.S. audit concluded. The Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general said TSA hasn’t developed adequate training for its 2,800 full-time behavior-detection officers or been able to assess the program’s effectiveness. The agency also doesn’t have a financial plan for the program. http://www.businessinsider.com/tsa-spot-program-is-scientifically-bogus-2015-5
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2016/05/23/airports-ticket-fees-should-fund-tsa-not-deficit-reduction/84793024/ The lines are resulting from a confluence of more travelers, fewer TSA officers and tighter security. TSA projected 8% more travelers this summer, while airlines expect a 4% gain. With about 42,500 officers, TSA has about 5,400 fewer than three years ago. And officers are scrutinizing bags more closely after an inspector general report last year found that screeners often failed to detect weapons http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/280781-tsa-head-warns-long-lines-are-likely-to-continue The head of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) says long airport security lines are likely to continue through the travel season this summer, despite increased funding from Congress. Congress recently approved $34 million to be shifted to the TSA in order to approve new overtime for employees and hire 768 more security screeners. Neffenger called the new funds a "good down payment," but said that more money would be needed. AFF - VETERANS CHOICE Intro: 1c- Pass this BC these programs are unfit for our veterans w- TTB average wait times for an appointment are exceedingly long D- Veterans Correspondent Quil Lawrence, NPR, May 16, 2016 In 2014, vets were waiting an average of 115 days for an appointment. To make matters worse, VA schedulers were told to falsify data to make it look like the waits weren't that bad. Congress and the VA worked together to solve this problem and created Veterans Choice, a $10 billion dollar program that made sure veterans didn’t wait more than 30 days for an appointment. Despite this effort, the wait times have gotten worse -- compared to 2015, there were 70,000 veterans that waited more than a month to be seen. D- Reporter Meghan Hoyer, USA Today, November 4, 2013 At a time when an estimated 22 veterans commit suicide daily, the VA was unable to schedule a third of new appointments within 14 days. !- We should be helping the soldiers that risked their lives on the battlefield to keep every person in this room safe. Once they return home we treat them as if they’ve done nothing special at all to keep this country away from harm and we need to change that with the passage of this bill. 2c- Pass this BC this bill compensates for the failures of the previous Veterans Choice Act w- TTB it offers an entire year of development D- Steve Walsh, PBS News, May 17, 2016 The main issue with the Veterans Choice Program was there was not enough time to create it. The Department of Veterans Affairs tried to get outside help, but no corporation was willing to help, except for Triwest Healthcare Alliance and Health Net Federal Services. This was mainly because no other corporation wanted to risk their time or capital into a system that they thought to be impossible to make. !- This is important because the Department of Veteran Affairs will have more support when building the next program, meaning more time spent on making this program clear and non-confusing, allowing those 70,000 veterans to receive a more stable life. http://www.npr.org/2016/05/17/478215589/how-congress-and-the-va-left-many-veterans-without-a-choice Congress gave the VA only 90 days from the day it was signed into law to implement the Choice program. In a VA document justifying its decision not to open up the contract to bidders, the VA cited the "hyper-accelerated" pace imposed by Congress. Typically, a program of this size would take at least a year to create. http://www.kpbs.org/news/2016/may/17/veterans-choice-medical-program-troubled-start/ So the VA shopped around. They invited 57 companies to a VA-sponsored event on Sept.17, 2014. Nearly all of the companies turned down the VA. “Only four companies said they were interested in continuing some conversation,” Yehia said. “And then two of those companies made it crystal clear, that given a November, or a 90-day time frame, they’re not interested.” So, when nearly everyone else said no, the VA turned to two companies it had under contract. TriWest Healthcare Alliance and Health Net had just begun running Patient Centered Community Care, or PC3. They were building a network of doctors and hospitals to help the VA manage a portion of the roughly $4 billion a year it was spending on outside providers. http://www.npr.org/2016/04/22/474388101/overcrowding-forces-tennessee-va-clinic-to-stop-accepting-new-patients http://www.npr.org/series/363340041/back-at-base http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2016/05/16/477814218/attempted-fix-for-va-health-delays-creates-new-bureaucracy http://www.va.gov/HEALTH/docs/DR45_052016_Pending_and_EWL_Biweekly_Desired_Date_Division.pdf http://www.gao.gov/assets/680/675867.pdf http://www.npr.org/2016/03/23/471478050/for-the-vas-broken-health-system-the-fix-needs-a-fix 1- http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2016/05/16/477814218/attempted-fix-for-va-health-delays-creates-new-bureaucracy Two years ago, vets were waiting a long time for care at Veterans Affairs clinics across the country. At one facility in Phoenix, for example, veterans waited an average of 115 days for an appointment. Adding insult to injury, some VA schedulers were told to falsify data to make it look like the waits weren't that bad. Congress and the VA came up with a fix: Veterans Choice, a $10 billion program that was supposed to give veterans a card that would let them see a non-VA doctor if they were more than 40 miles away from a VA facility or they were going to have to wait longer than 30 days for a VA provider to see them. Although the idea sounds simple enough, the fix hasn't worked out as planned. Wait times have gotten worse — not better. Compared with this time last year, there are 70,000 more appointments that took vets at least a month to be seen. There was a problem, though. Congress gave the VA only 90 days to set up the system. Facing that extremely tight time frame, the VA turned to two private companies to administer the program and help veterans get an appointment with a doctor and then work with the VA to pay that doctor. Although the idea sounds simple enough, the fix hasn't worked out as planned. Wait times have gotten worse — not better. Compared with this time last year, there are 70,000 more appointments that took vets at least a month to be seen. NEG - VETERANS CHOICE Intro: If you don’t have accountability, and you know your job is safe whether you perform or not, it’s hard to make any progress. That is what we have at the VA. 1c- Fail this BC creating a new program won’t help Veterans w- TTB we need to establish proper oversight and management D- Writer Richard Oppel, New York Times, May 2014 Local Department of Veterans Affairs administrators have been manipulating medical waiting lists at several hospitals. For example, the reported wait time to see a doctor in Phoenix, Arizona was 23 days. However, with more investigation, it was found that the actual waiting time in Phoenix for Veteran appointments was 115 days -- 5x that they had reported. This was in addition to Phoenix’s 1,700 patients at the Veteran’s medical center were not placed on the official waiting list for doctors and never received care. D- More pressingly, according to Editor John McCormick, Chicago Tribune, September 2, 2016 A law was passed in 2014 mandating that the VA fire executives who were involved in the waiting list scandal. But only 9 of them have been fired, and some of them can still get their jobs back. The VA is still ran by the same people who have chosen to endanger lives to make a profit rather than actually provide health care; until that is no longer true, erasing the infrastructure we have now and allowing these irresponsible individuals to rebuild it is the most reprehensible act this congress could take. !- So sure, Rep ___, you want to create a new program to stop this from occurring, but that is attacking a symptom, not the root cause. The root cause of all of the Veteran’s Choice program’s issues is a lack of oversight and transparent management. 2c- Fail this BC completely ending the Veterans Choice Program will worsen the status quo w- TTB despite allowing a year to complete the program, the Department of Veteran’s Affairs will not have enough help D- Steve Walsh, National Public Radio, May 17, 2016 The main issue with the Veterans Choice Program was there was not enough time to create it. The Department of Veterans Affairs tried to get outside help, but no corporation was willing to help, except for Triwest Healthcare Alliance and Health Net Federal Services. This was mainly because no other corporation wanted to risk their time or capital into a system that they thought to be impossible to make. D- PBS, May 18, 2016 Few people have faith in the Veterans Choice program currently. Any improvements are lost in the seas of criticism. !- This is important because with low public confidence the ability to find private supporters will be dramatically hindered. Sure, a year is longer than the VA had last time, but the chances that the Department of Veteran Affairs can find anyone to support their complete re-do? Very low. It is much better to keep the system, and keep reforming and refining, not drastically acting. https://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/29/us/va-report-confirms-improper-waiting-lists-at-phoenix-center.html In the first confirmation that Department of Veterans Affairs administrators manipulated medical waiting lists at one and possibly more hospitals, the department’s inspector general reported on Wednesday that 1,700 patients at the veterans medical center in Phoenix were not placed on the official waiting list for doctors’ appointments and may never have received care. The scathing report by Richard J. Griffin, the acting inspector general, validates allegations raised by whistle-blowers and others that Veterans Affairs officials in Phoenix employed artifices to cloak long waiting times for veterans seeking medical care. Mr. Griffin said the average waiting time in Phoenix for initial primary care appointments, 115 days, was nearly five times as long as what the hospital’s administrators had reported. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/editorials/ct-veterans-affairs-va-vha-health-scandal-obama-edit-0905-jm-20160901-story.html Predictable congressional solution: Let's throw more money at the VA! In the decade since 2006, the VA's budget has soared from $73 billion to $167 billion, with much of the growth in the health system. Staff, too, has ballooned. None of that has significantly dented the VA's entrenched culture that disdains accountability. For instance: The 2014 law streamlined the process to fire VA executives who concealed the waiting-list scandal. Since then, however, only nine people have been fired for manipulating wait times, The New York Times reports. And some of them could still get their jobs back after appeals. Maddening. "If you don't have accountability, and you know your job is safe whether you perform or not, it's hard to make any progress, " Republican Sen. Johnny Isakson of Georgia tells the newspaper. "Right now, that is what we have at the VA." “Long story short: It has major problems, not the least of which is the pure confusion that veterans and even V.A. employees have in working the program,” said Garry Augustine, director of Disabled American Veterans. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/07/us/care-by-private-doctors-among-big-changes-urged-for-va-health-system.html?action=click&contentCollection=U.S.&module=RelatedCoverage®ion=EndOfArticle&pgtype=article “Although care delivered by V.A. is in many ways comparable or better in clinical quality to that generally available in the private sector,” the report concluded, “it is inconsistent from facility to facility, and can be substantially compromised by problems with access, service, and poorly functioning operational systems and processes.” The commission, made up largely of health care professionals and leaders of veterans’ organizations, made 17 recommendations to streamline care, including modernizing computerized record systems and creating a team that could shutter underused or redundant veterans’ facilities. http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/veterans-affairs-dept-reformers-find-the-fix-is-not-in/ Veterans Affairs Dept. reformers find the fix is not inhttps://vineyardgazette.com/news/2015/09/17/veterans-battle-healthnet-system The Veteran’s Choice program allows veterans in locations where access to VA facilities is difficult to get medical care from the private sector. The VA does not deliver the care directly, but contracts with the private company HealthNet, which administers the program for the eastern United States. At a meeting Tuesday afternoon, Island veterans and VA officials cited numerous examples where trying to navigate the HealthNet system has become a bureaucratic nightmare. !- Directory: uploads uploads -> 587 Return function, r i(X) r i(0) r i(1) r i(2) r i(3) 1 0 2 4 6 Thermal Station, I 2 0 1 5 6 3 0 3 5 6 10 uploads -> Department of science and humanities department of mathematics part-a questions and answers uploads -> The Case Against the nypd’s Quota-Driven ‘Broken Windows’ Policing What Is It? uploads -> For want of a nail uploads -> Ownership Models There are two different types of ownership models uploads -> Police Militarization uploads -> City of rising star regular meting thursday, july 14, 2016 uploads -> Township of winfield uploads -> Stop Militarizing Law Enforcement Act of 2014 uploads -> The Black Panther Party’s Ten-Point Program What We Want Now! Download 93.34 Kb. Share with your friends:
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