Republican frontrunner Donald Trump laid out a plan to reform the VA system on Saturday, promising to “take care of those wounded warriors … [and] our vets better than anybody.”
The real estate mogul said he’d create policies that would make VA hospitals compete with non-VA hospitals, and said health care would be delivered more quickly.
"The plan will ensure our veterans get the care they need, wherever and whenever they need it," he said, speaking in front of the USS Wisconsin in Norfolk, Virginia.
“Think about me going to my doctor’s office and waiting four days,” he said. "If I wait 15 minutes, I’m angry as hell at the doctor.”
He also indicated that under his plan veterans would be able to receive care from any doctor that takes Medicare. He also said he’d fire “corrupt and incompetent VA executives who let our veterans down.”
Additionally, Trump said the VA must update its system to meet the growing needs of younger veterans, including increasing funding for post-traumatic stress disorder and suicide prevention, as well as supporting female veterans by employing permanent OB-GYNs—the lack of which “shows an utter lack of respect for the growing number of female veterans.”
Trump’s plan lacked specifics on how much it would cost to implement, though he said his proposed changes would cost less than the current system by getting rid of waste.