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Earlier this month, Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance proposed expanding the role of private healthcare within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), drawing swift criticism from Democrats. However, some veterans, frustrated with the current system, are open to the idea.
“I’ve spent hours on hold, waited weeks for appointments, and driven over an hour to another state for a 15-minute visit, using my own PTO,” said Marine veteran Shelby Anderson, who lost a leg due to an on-base injury. “Hearing Vance’s remarks was a breath of fresh air,” she told The Post.
Although the VA’s approval ratings have improved significantly from a decade ago, when it was plagued by a waitlist scandal, challenges persist. The department’s backlog remains high, with over 240,000 pending claims, down from more than 400,000 last year.
“There are areas where the VA works very well,” Vance said on the “Shawn Ryan Show” podcast. “I wouldn’t say ‘get rid of the whole thing,’ but I would say, ‘give people more choice.’ I think you’ll save money in the process.”
Kate Monroe, a Marine veteran and CEO of Vetcomms.us, a group that assists veterans in navigating the VA system, emphasized the need for caution. “If we’re considering privatizing portions of VA healthcare, we must first ensure that the funds don’t end up in the hands of the same people mismanaging the system today,” she said.
Jon Perry, a former Army Special Forces member, shared his struggles with the system, recounting a wait of “over two months just to get the necessary appointments scheduled” as he transitioned out of the military. “Privatizing parts of the VA and allowing veterans to choose their own doctors could eliminate some of these issues,” he said.
Currently, the VA relies on the private sector for some services, with about 35% of its direct care budget allocated to the Veterans Community Care Program, which refers patients to private providers, according to the left-leaning American Prospect.
Jacqueline Simon, policy director at the American Federation of Government Employees, the largest federal employee union, warned against full-scale privatization. “The VA has developed expertise in dealing with the complexities of the veteran patient population, and private sector providers may not have access to that level of expertise,” she told The Post. Simon noted that 79% of VA facilities have 4- or 5-star ratings from patients, compared to 40% of non-VA hospitals.
Michael Cannon, director of Health Policy Studies at the libertarian CATO Institute, argued for true privatization, suggesting that free-market forces would yield better results. “It is a socialized system that doesn’t have a functioning price mechanism, leading to wild resource misallocations,” he explained. “You’ll see excess capacity in some areas and shortages in others where there are long waits for care.”
