Army Examines Possibility of Private Medical Contractor

[douglas9]

Source: Washington Post

Whom do you turn to when the enormous number of military contract employees in Iraq creates problems for the U.S. Army as it tries to fight there?

Another contractor, of course.

Military medical treatment facilities in Iraq have been overwhelmed trying to handle routine health-care problems for some of the more than 129,000 people working for U.S. and coalition force contractors. As a result, the U.S. Army is trying to determine whether a private medical contractor is willing to take over the job.

Last week, Joint Contracting Command-Iraq provided details on its July 27 Request for Information (RFI W91GDW-07-R-4024), titled "Civilian Contractor Hospital Services throughout Iraq." It asks whether private health-care providers might be interested in establishing "medical treatment facilities at Forward Operating Bases throughout Iraq that would provide medical treatment to contractors working with the coalition forces."

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/02/AR2007090201157_pf.html

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It isn't even April 1st.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

1. There is no way most American doctors would be willing to "deploy" to "forward operating bases" for

anything less than a king's ransom, and most not even for that.

When you consider what most doctors already make in the U.S. this idea is insane.

On Edit: Although considering 8 or 9 BILLION in "green footballs" of cash gone completely "missing" I suppose they just might cough up enough to convince someone.

[izzie]

2. I think you are wrong on some of this. For money some would go.

It would have to be more than they make now so profits would do it and guess who would pay. The tax payers would have to pick this up as we know no private army would cut into their profits for their private army. It would be a new corp. for profits fit out to do what the govt. does now and they would only look at the money they made. I am sure the CEO would get his 100 million a year just to run it. We must get out of this endless war that is just bleeding us dry for a few rich cats. Plus colonialists have always hurt the people they do their occupation on and every Am. should know it. It is our own history on both ends of that game.

[salin]

3. frmr Senator Fist might be up for the job

his family's (corrupt) HCA corp could spin off a corp for the Senator to gouge the tax payers and make big bucks off of the private contractors in Iraq.

[izzie]

4. He does seem to have no end of his greed.

Funny how some people have more money than God but just have to have more. I often wonder about that endless love of money just for more money. If it was just to live better I could understand but these people seem to like more money for some thing else I just do not get. It is like a sick ness or something. Maybe they have nothing else in their life. I just do not get it but I have met these people and it is all they think of. Money. They put all sorts of adjectives meaning on to it. Means your smart, better etc. or so they say.

[flyingfysh]

7. why use American doctors?

There are lots of doctors in other countries such as India.

[pwb]

5. Let the warmonger contractor companies supply their own medical care.

Why should taxpayer pay their medical bills. i thought contracting was suppose to eliminate the need to pay benefits .

[Trillo]

6. You see, in order to get there,

first everything must be privitized through a go-between entity (corporation) to inflate then skim profits. Next, privates (and corporals, enlisted and officers etc.) must be privitized without benefit of a go-between, so the individuals get the benefits of the increased costs instead of a corporation. The final stage is strict dog-eat-dog competition among the masses for those individual contracts, lowering costs to the point of absurdity.

Of course, that eventuality is very far in the future, as once the go-between entity is eliminated, there is no longer an incentive to shill for privitization. Even if the final stage is reached (individual contracts and dog-eat-dog competition) the outcome is grave as masses of people realize they've been duped and signed thier lives away for someone else's cause.

[Supersedeas]

8. Another glaring example of Bushian preparedness

[benddem]

9. best laugh I've had

in a long time :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[BearSquirrel2]

10. No doubt the same contractor that did Walter Reid

Knowing Republicans, they'll choose the same contractor that made Walter Reid such a great success story. Remember, to a Republican success is not measured by the quality of care. Success is measured by the volume of pork doled out to campaign contributors.

[LiberalFighter]

11. We don't have a medical operation in war zones?

Cost can/should be easier to control when military have their own medical division.

[DefenseLawyer]

15. Well there's your problem right there

You think that controlling costs is something they actually consider. Why no price is too high for the health of the troops. Are you for cutting the health care of the troops? How dare you question our no-bid contract, you commie! I bet you complain about the $28 a tray we are paying Halliburton to feed the troops. You want the troops to go hungry. Why do you hate America?

[LiberalFighter]

16. Because I can?

Actually just a sub-group of Americans.

[acmavm]

12. Halliburton is into health care too?

[Disturbed]

14. The RWing agenda is to Privatize everything.

Abolish &/or nueter.

Social Security
Medicare
Employer supplied health insurance
Welfare
FEMA
Gun Laws
Abortion Rights
Collective Bargaining
EPA
Public Education
Public Housing
IRS

[OzarkDem]

13. Just like Walter Reed Hosp?

Another GOP hoax, since we already know outsourcing military services to private contractors lowers quality and costs much more.

Guess the GOP is scrambling for more campaign contributions and needs to add more military sectors to the campaign money laundering machine.

Pity the soldiers and civilians in Iraq who have to get their medical services from some Halliburton contractor.

[SoCalDem]

17. Anybody seen Bill (catkiller) Frist lately? or him and Tauzin together?

Something like this is right up their alley..:grr:

[Orsino]

18. Another way to hide the abuses.

Think a contractor in a war zone couldn't use "trade secrets" as an excuse to stonewall any investigation?