300,000 American veterans dying while awaiting health care from the VA has “not been as widespread as it has been made out to be,” according to Hillary Clinton.
She truly believes the secret wait lists and lack of care is a Republican plot.
Last Friday on MSNBC’s “Rachel Maddow Show,” Hillary actually said, “You know, I don’t understand why we have such a problem, because there have been a number of surveys of veterans, and overall, veterans who do get treated are satisfied with their treatment. Now... Now, nobody would believe that from the coverage that you see, and the constant berating of the VA. that comes from the Republicans, in - in part in pursuit of this ideological agenda that they have.”
Yes, that ideological agenda of the Republicans is to ensure our veterans receive prompt, effective medical care.
Hillary, the presumptive Democratic candidate for President of these United States, disagrees with that ideological agenda.
It’s beyond amazing that she also believes that as long as some veterans are getting care and they like it, then the problem is not “widespread.”
“I do think that some of the reforms that were adopted last year should be given a chance to work. If there is a waiting period that is just unacceptable, you should be able to, in a sense, get the opportunity to go out, have a private physician take care of you, but at the cost of the VA.”
That sounds good, but it’s more of Hillary’s inside-the-beltway pandering. As usual with Hillary, the truth is the polar opposite.
The 4,000-page VA-commissioned study of veteran’s health care released in September of this year contradicts Hillary’s claim that most patients are satisfied with the care they receive.
As reported by the Washington Post, “on six of 10 patient-centered measures, patients in VA hospitals on average reported significantly less-favorable experiences with the care they received than did patients in non-VA hospitals.
It also includes quotes from employees highlighting the need for whistleblowers to be protected and to feel secure in shining the light on problems. VA employees’ fear of retaliation led to the wait-times scandal last year, veterans groups and VA employees say.”
Plus, VA facilities cost twice the normal amount for public facilities.
As for Hillary’s claim that Republicans are pushing for privatization of VA hospitals, that means she’s giving Republicans credit for supporting the 88 percent of veterans responding to a poll earlier this year who said they want access to private physicians paid for by the VA.
About 95 percent said veterans should be entitled to the best care possible, regardless of the provider.
That puts Hillary steadfastly against the wishes of American veterans, no matter how she may spin it.
Another stunning confession is that she blithely declares suffering veterans should just wait until “some of the reforms that were adopted last year should be given a chance to work.”
Republicans and veterans disagree.
The Associated Press reported in June of this year, “The number of veterans seeking health care but ending up on waiting lists of one month or more is 50 percent higher now than it was a year ago when a scandal over false records and long wait times wracked the Department of Veterans Affairs.”
Hillary must know it’s getting worse. She claims to read the news. She simply chooses partisan artifice over bipartisan solutions.
As for her deceit that the VA scandal is just another right-wing conspiracy not “as widespread as it has been made out to be” by Republicans, please know that the Veterans Administration’s Inspector General’s investigation found that over 300,000 veterans died while waiting for medical attention.
It’s good for voters to know Hillary Clinton’s paranoia that everyone is conspiring against her and her belief that the lives of 300,000 Americans isn’t a large enough sample for her to consider the problem “widespread.”
Rick Jensen is Delaware’s award-winning conservative talk show host on WDEL, streaming live on WDEL.com from 1pm - 4pm EST. Contact Rick at rick@wdel.com, or follow him on Twitter @Jensen1150WDEL