Why do people vote for Hilary and Obama?

[elprincipe]

Final-Fan said:
From http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/expectmore/detail/10004352.2005.html

Does the performance of this program compare favorably to other programs, including government, private, etc., with similar purpose and goals?

Explanation: The VA Insurance Program regularly measures its performance against and compares favorably to other programs with similar purpose and goals. Because the VA Insurance program is similar to a commercial insurance company, it compares its performance with other private companies as a member of a life insurance industry trade association and a well-known organization that tracks customer satisfaction for commercial companies. Both organizations provide performance data on customer satisfaction, timeliness and other performance indicators. Results of the Insurance Industry Trade Association study indicate that the Insurance program consistently exceeds its benchmark targets and compares favorably to commercial life insurance companies. In addition, the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), another performance study that tracks trends in customer satisfaction, provides benchmarking insights for commercial companies, and government agencies. The program's score of 90 out of a possible 100 in death awards processing exceeded the private life insurance sector's score of 75 and the federal government-wide score of 68.6. In the program's toll-free telephone service study, Insurance earned an overall score of 80 out of a possible 100, the highest score of Government agencies performing similar functions.

Evidence: ACSI Survey (May 2001); ACSI Survey (November 2003) Insurance Industry Turnaround Survey; VA 2006 Congressional Justification.

Looks like it is above the average when looking at performance vs the private sector.  But there are two major pieces of data we're missing here to get the full picture.  Perhaps you can fill them in.  If they compare favorably to the best simiilar privately-run program I'll visit the Crow Eating Thread.

1. How much does this program cost compared to similar private programs?

2. How many, if any, private-sector programs are better than the government one?  90 out of 100 is far from unbeatable, especially if the average is 75.