Sanders: I will work against any VA nominee backing privatization

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said Sunday he will work against any Veterans Affairs nominee who supports privatizing the agency.

“I will do everything I can as a member of the veterans committee not to approve any nominee who is not going to strengthen the VA and who will oppose privatization,” Sanders told CNN’s “State of the Union.”

The comments from Sanders come after Trump announced Rear Adm. Ronny Jackson, who currently serves as the presidential physician, would replace David Shulkin as the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.

Shulkin penned an op-ed in The New York Times opposing the privatization of the agency after his exit and saying there are officials within the administration pushing for it.

Sanders, a member of the Senate Veteran Affairs Committee, said veterans’ organizations argue the agency should be strengthened rather than privatized. He also blamed billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch, arguing their influence over the Trump administration is what’s pushing privatization.

http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/381158-sanders-i-will-work-against-any-va-nominee-backing-privatization

I don't always agree with Bernie Sanders but he's spot on in this case.

[RandySF]

1. I have one question, though.

What is someone lives a long distance from the nearest VA facility.

[ornotna]

3. What do they do now?

Will privatizing it make it better?

[Demsrule86]

14. No ...and don't believe the hype in states that give a shit, it is not bad. In Ohio it is excellent.

The vet groups will fight this. I doubt it will happen.

[leanforward]

4. With regards to current practices at the VA

There is a mileage payment window at the VA hospital near me. Likewise, they have mobile clinics.

They also provide van transport in those cases where special medical service is required.

At every VA, there is an Advocate, have your vet talk with that Advocate. They will work with the Vet and his representative.

I'm against any privatization of the VA. I am for the use of the VA benefit at any local hospital/clinic/MD, where travel is a hardship on the Vet and caregivers.

The VA is for the benefit of the Vet, not for a profit making entity that siphons appropriated/tax money into someone's pocket.

[democrank]

8. Excellent points, lean forward.

I'm against privatization of the VA. Bernie Sanders is a solid advocate for veterans, going back a long way.

[mountain grammy]

9. thanks for the facts.

[Voltaire2]

5. How will draining more money out of the

system and into profit for the health service industry improve the system for all of its users?

[Hassin Bin Sober]

22. Skimming 30% off the top for shareholder overhead and profit will make things all better.

[RandySF]

27. I don't know. It was just a question.

[Voltaire2]

31. It was an odd question.

I’m sure you didn’t intend it this way, but a standard right wing talking point against social programs like the va is to use individual hardship anecdotes to obfuscate the collective benefit of the program.

[RandySF]

34. Im just never going to comment or question

On any thread that involved Bernie. Everybody is in a righteous mood then.

[Voltaire2]

35. Your question had nothing to do with Sanders.

You used a standard talking point against public healthcare. When you got deservedly hammered for it, for apparently arguing for privatization as somehow delivering better service - you brought up Sanders. Nobody else did.

[Demsrule86]

36. This has nothing to do with Bernie...he can't stop privatization ...he has no more power than the

Democrats...the Vet groups will have to stop it, and all the major groups are against it.

[Corgigal]

7. We have a insurance card for that.

We're good. I rather go to my local VA, ten mins from my house. People who live in the middle of no where can pick a local doc for local medical stuff.

The system works fine, might take two weeks to get it for my annual. However, that is the same amount of time it takes on my husbands private insurance.

They just want to steal the funding, then cut it back.

[Demsrule86]

13. You are still better off.

[Demsrule86]

15. There are ways to deal with that.

[BobTheSubgenius]

16. Good God.

Veterans are treated more than shabbily already. To think someone wants to privatize the VA and turn the misery, broken bodies and shattered psyches of people that served their country into a profit center? It's despicable. It's a idea...no, I can't even give it the dignity of "idea"...it's an awful fever dream that should have been stillborn. Mixed metaphors or not.

[RandySF]

26. Jimeny Cricket, it was just a question.

Would I have received such a hostile response if Bernie was the topic?

[Blue_true]

32. You asked an honest question.

A couple of the replies were over the top, but a number of people that seem to have firsthand knowledge gave detailed responses that highlighted how the system currently works to deal with the problem you raised.

[Demsrule86]

38. +10000

I hate war, but if we are stupid enough to have one...we owe those who fight them our gratitude and our support. The Republicans represent the rich who are never satisfied with any amount of money. The sooner we send the Republicans to the political wilderness the better...they have no legitimate policy ideas and busy enriching their own nests and care nothing for this country or the men and women who fight to protect it.

[Nanjeanne]

20. I believe they are attempting to fix this with access to private doctors if needed.

In those cases, per VA, you may be referred to a community provider through the Non-VA Medical Care program.

[Blue_true]

29. Good question. Lots of non Vets live a long way from regular hospitals.

Hospitals of all types end up where most of the people in the region are. In big states like Florida, there are many VA and lots and lots of regular hospitals. I am ok with allowances, if a Vet lives too far from a VA hospital but close to a full service regular hospital, that Vet can apply for an allowance that allow him or her to get emergency medical at the regular hospital, but that happens even now, without an allowance. Planned surgery or long term medical care presents expense issues for a Vet's family, but my guess is those issues exist for regular hospitals, because, I repeat myself, hospitals are not built in the sticks where there are not many people, be they VA or regular hospitals.

[bullwinkle428]

39. Bernie stated very directly in an interview with Chris Hayes last week -

he was actually encouraging the idea of veterans getting the opportunity to attend non-VA medical facilities if it was logistically difficult or impossible to get to a VA hospital or clinic in a timely or regular manner.

[leanforward]

2. I'm with Bernie

Granted, the Admiral may be a good guy.

Personally, the gentleman may be in over his head. He'll be fed a line of BS by the other political appointees.

It would be great if the gentleman withdraws his nomination and resign from the Navy in high moral standing.

[Demsrule86]

12. He is not a good guy...he no doubt falsified Trump's medical for this job...he has no experience and

will do a shitty job just like Trump.

[Skittles]

24. we already know the Admiral is a Trump ass kisser and a liar

can we PLEASE stop with this "good guy" stuff

[ProfessorGAC]

37. The Good Guy Who Falsified A Medical Record?

Either he mismeasured his height, and went blind went reading the scale, or he fudged the numbers.

"It" is not that tall and weighs 239 pounds from the waist up.

[democratisphere]

6. The wealthiest American Oligarch criminals want to privatize the

Department of Veterans Affairs with the second largest budget and integrate it into the American Criminal Enterprise Healthcare System to rape even more wealth from our former American Democracy. I stand with Senator Sanders on this one!

[mountain grammy]

10. Along with the public school system,

Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, the Post Office, the military, etc, etc, etc.

[democratisphere]

17. You said it mountain grammy! We must stop the raping and pillaging of our former Democracy

by the American Oligarchs and their Congressional henchmen and henchwomen!

[Ferrets are Cool]

25. Absolutely correct.

[Blue_true]

33. The way private industry works is it only want the parts that make money.

The parts that don't get shutdown. AMTRACK is a perfect example. Private industry would love a DC to Boston, and will soon want an LA to San Fran line (cities in between are growing people, along the coast). But they will offload the rest to locals that will either shutdown or charge enormous fees to get someone to the East Nowhere stop in the middle of the sticks.

[Demsrule86]

11. That is meaningless as the votes to stop anyone Trump chooses are not there.

[mountain grammy]

19. Meaningless? Really?

Should we all be silent? Good Germans?

[Chemisse]

23. I am grateful that someone is kicking up a fuss.

Whether it is successful or not, I am glad he is trying.

[Yavin4]

18. You cannot make a profit in healthcare without limiting or outright denying services.

Or charging more than what the govt will pay resulting in vets having massive debts. Imagine a for profit fire department. How would that work? You would only get fire fighting service if you can pay for it while your house is on fire.

[shadowmayor]

21. The VA - It's a service not a business

Anybody who supports privatization shouldn't call themselves a democrat. Still waiting for the weak-kneed VFW, Am Legion, Viet Nam Vets etc. to come out and loudly protest the hollowing out of an already underfunded agency. How about building more VA clinics across the country? No shortage of $$ for soldiers when they carry an M-16. After we get home - not so much.

A please be very careful before you attempt to thank me for my service - you might not enjoy my reply!!!

[Blue_true]

28. Two things will definitely kill republicans.

The first is privatizing social security, the other is privatizing the VA. If they somehow got those done, they gut and will lose two parts of their base. Democrats have saved republicans from making those two mistakes and the republican base that benefitted stuck fingers in democrats' eyes.

[leftstreet]

30. DURec