"The book looks at the largest hospital system in the country, the Veterans Healthcare Administration--one that has come under fire from critics in the White House, on Capitol Hill, and in the nation's media. The author spent five years closely observing the VHA's treatment of patients suffering from service related injuries, physical and mental. This book describes how the VHA, tasked with a challenging patient population, does a better job than private sector institutions offering primary and geriatric care, mental health and home care services, and support for patients nearing the end of life. It explores how the resulting public debate about the future of veterans' health care has pitted VHA patients and their care-givers against politicians and policy-makers who believe that former military personnel would be better served by private health care providers"--