Quote:Republican Vice Presidential candidate JD Vance in an interview Wednesday said he would “consider” plans to privatize parts of the Department of Veterans Affairs and push for more private-health care options for patients in the system if elected this fall.
In an appearance on the Shawn Ryan Show podcast released Wednesday, the Ohio senator (who is former President Donald Trump’s running mate) also said he would fire or cut thousands of federal civilian jobs, including many within VA.
“Probably 90% to 95% of the people at the VA are fantastic human beings, but then you’ve got a small slice of the VA [who are] bad apples that makes it really hard for everybody else to do their job,” he said.
“This is why veterans spend three hours on the phone trying to get an appointment. This is why you have people commit suicide, because they’re waiting 28 days to get an appointment with the doctor. It’s a small sliver of the VA, but you can fire those people, right? Give the people who are doing their job a raise. Fire the people who aren’t doing their jobs.”
https://www.airforcetimes.com/veterans/2...f-elected/
Further proving he's an idiot, Vance proposes to improve VA service by cutting more staff. The long waits to set an appointment are a result of chronic understaffing. I generally get good care from the VA, and good treatment from its employees. Many of the VA's employees are veterans themselves, and are serious about delivering quality care.
The long lead times on appointments are also the result of understaffing. If they had more doctors, we'd get quicker appointments and quicker care.
I don't want my healthcare being exposed to the profit motive. I don't want decisions about my health-care being made by businessmen five states away.
I'm not sure how much medical care Vance has received from the VA, but his claims here reflect stereotypes more than reality, in my experience.
