Review of the VA in Advance of “DOGE” Staffing Cuts
By Eli Ibanga
Originally published at www.linkedin.com/in/eibanga/ on 12 March 2025
There has been lots of talk recently about “DOGE” and its sweeping cuts to various US federal agencies, and most recently, the VA. I think its safe to say their approach is reckless when it comes to government cuts. American politicians always say how much they love their veterans, but if that is the case then I would recommend these cuts are halted for a non-arbitrary period until proper review is done by qualified experts, because the current available data does not support their claims.
For today, let’s just look at healthcare outcomes and patient satisfaction. The VA maintains better healthcare outcomes than the larger US healthcare system provides the general public, in fact, the VA by and large maintains better healthcare outcomes than veterans receiving care external to the VA (Apaydin, et al., 2023). Comparatively, the general population of course experiences worse healthcare outcomes in most metrics (Apaydin, et al., 2023). This also does not take into consideration access to care for the general population, which is often influenced by income, location, race, etc. While I’m not aware of any research on that topic, I’d argue the government’s focus on inclusion and anti-discrimination in the past ensures that the lowest private and most senior general receive the same standard of care from the Department of Veterans Affairs. This is underscored by the fact that the VA holds an outpatient satisfaction rate of 92% (Department of Veterans Affairs, 2024).
So, we’ve established the VA does a fantastic job of taking care of its veterans. Well, how does the rest of our nation fare? The answer, as you likely presumed, is not great. US healthcare expenditures double the average healthcare expenditures of other developed countries, and our healthcare outcomes are low to dead last when compared to those same countries (Peter G. Peterson Foundation, 2024).
The point of this isn’t to carry water for the VA. Nor to claim that the Trump administration has no right to review or demand increased efficiency from federal agencies. It’s to highlight that:
1. The VA is working very well as it is currently constructed
2. This energy would be much more beneficial to all Americans if focused on improving healthcare expenditures and outcomes for the general public.
The US government is not a startup. Moving fast and failing fast does not work for organizations that maintain critical functions. Breaking these organizations will have drastic, and at times fatal, consequences that we won’t see make headlines.
Sources:
Apaydin, E.A., Paige, N.M., Begashaw, M.M. et al. Veterans Health Administration (VA) vs. Non-VA Healthcare Quality: A Systematic Review. J GEN INTERN MED 38, 2179–2188 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-023-08207-2
Peter G Peterson Foundation. (2024, August 16). How does the U.S. healthcare system compare to other countries? https://www.pgpf.org/article/how-does-the-us-healthcare-system-compare-to-other-countries/?utm_term=healthcare+outcomes+by+country&utm_campaign=Healthcare%2BGeneral&utm_source=adwords&utm_medium=ppc&hsa_acc=1523796716&hsa_cam=15585669000&hsa_grp=131358281459&hsa_ad=570089444339&hsa_src=g&hsa_tgt=kwd-329647557082&hsa_kw=healthcare+outcomes+by+country&hsa_mt=b&hsa_net=adwords&hsa_ver=3&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAlPu9BhAjEiwA5NDSA5b0mMB-WVZWDI4KMoyOSDnKgupnvRbFCFuac9AAI8uQy4pasqqh5xoCWAcQAvD_BwE
Department of Veterans Affairs. (2024, May 9). Trust in VA among veteran patients rises to 91.8%, up 6% since 2018. VA News. https://news.va.gov/press-room/trust-in-va-among-veteran-patients-rises-to-91-8/
The Argument for Tesla Parting Ways With Elon Musk
By Eli Ibanga
Originally published at linkedin.com/in/eibanga/ 13 March 2025
We are over a month beyond Elon Musk "giving his heart" (it disgusted me to even type that. side by side image with you-know-who here: https://lnkd.in/gyMchuBM). Surely one must ask then, why on earth is Tesla still associated with him?
From a perspective that strictly surrounds Tesla’s profitability, it makes zero sense to get rid of Musk. He is the quintessential personality hire, but as a CEO. His “personal brand” carries $TSLA, which has resulted in is incredible stock valuation over the years. An argument could be made that his own brand is more valuable than Tesla itself, and their association with him is what makes the company so valuable. And although Tesla is currently experiencing a PR nightmare so bad that the President of the United States has waded into the topic (which is a discussion for another day), from the perspective of a shareholder concerned with profit, how could you justify getting rid of him? Tesla has outperformed major stocks and indexes when viewed holistically. All stocks experience a dip from time to time. Furthermore, he is arguably the most powerful man in the world at the moment, given his unprecedented wealth, access to sensitive US government data, and influence over the President of the United States.
With all that said, I will make a case on why they should get rid of him, even though it will never happen. Long term strategy and principles. If Musk’s brand is indeed more valuable than Tesla’s, then what will happen when he is no longer around? The man isn’t immortal after all. One day he will retire, pass away, or fly off into space to never return. When that day comes, Tesla will lose their “Elon stimulus package”. But their history of association with him will remain. Certain consumer groups have long memories. Of course that may not matter. Sure, Target is currently nearing a 5 year low in stock price, but similar retailers have seen devaluations without any protest in the same period. Any African American reading this surely knows at least one person who refuses to wear Tommy Hilfiger because of the untrue rumors of their being a racist clothing brand from the 90s. That never stopped them from being one of the most iconic brands in the world. Will Tesla’s brand survive post-Elon if they don’t “cut slingload” now? I don’t know. What I *do* know is that they should part with him because his actions are simply unacceptable, whether you believe he did it intentionally or not. Leaders have a responsibility to uphold the highest of ethical standards. As the leader of Tesla, his actions have caused great harm to many employees, consumers, and even private citizens given some of his non-Tesla related activities.