That’s an incredible statement given what we now know. To wit, at least seven Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities have now come under heavy criticism for essentially leaving veterans to die. This is not hyperbole. Wait times for routine procedures have been unconscionably long at some VA hospitals; patients sometimes wait for care that never comes, or if it does, comes much too late. (As many as 40 veterans at one VA hospital alone, in Phoenix, AZ, have died waiting for care). These deaths were preventable.
Meanwhile, bureaucrats have invented new ways of meeting basic wait-time standards without actually doing so. This is what MSNBC host Joe Scarborough describes in the clip below as “cooking the books.”
This is a national disgrace. And yet Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) is convinced the VA is “doing a pretty darn good job.” Via WFB:
Scarborough is so appalled and confused by what he just heard that he actually suggests Sen. Tester is personally lobbying for a VA facility in his home state. Ouch. At the same time, the Montana Democrat's fears are misplaced, worrying too many of us in the media are “politicizing” recent events. Call it what you will, but as Guy hinted last night, don't we in the media have a moral responsibility to tell these stories? Only by shining as bright a light as possible on the corruption and negligence at VA hospitals can we ensure that these facilities will be transparent and held accountable in the future.
How many more will needlessly die before veterans are afforded the health care they expect and need -- when they need it? A word of advice to Washington lawmakers: You should answers those questions first before going on national television and declaring government-run VA hospitals are “pretty darn good.”
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