I'm sure you can find examples of slow pay even in the "private" sector.
There are lots of small private practices that accept VA insurance. I think the great , saintly Hopkins can step up to the plate for all of our vets.
Its not a question of slow, its a matter of low.
Could they chose to lose money ? Of course. They do it every day but they do it case by case. Problem is there are a great many vets and who would NOT choose J-H if they had the choice ? None. So thats a lot of low/no margin work.
What would work is to pay at Medicare rates. That takes Congress. And the only real way it might work is to simply replace the VA system with Medicare and I'm so sure thats a good idea.
It all sucks as it leaves the vets getting the short end of the stick which is just not right.