Reply #5: Here's the specific story he's referencing:

[RoseMead]

VA Hospital May Have Exposed 1,800 Vets to HIV
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,595625,00.html

(Yes, I know it's Fox News, that's the link we're discussing)

What I see here, is that there was a problem where dental equipment was sterilized, but not to the manufacturer's specs, so people who had been treated were sent letters notifying them of the fact and telling them about free screening available to them. Nothing so far says that anyone was infected with HIV or anything else. And then, of course, the article goes on to include several other instances of problems that have occurred in VA hospitals.

My personal feeling is that these problems, while serious, are not much different from problems that happen in private hospitals all over the country. I'm trying to counter his perception that A)the VA system is bad across the board and B)it is bad because it is socialist.