Bill Kristol takes on Tavis Smiley over reforming VA health system
Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol went after PBS host Tavis Smiley Sunday on ABC’s This Week with George Stephanopoulos concerning the hot topic of how to fix the VA health system.
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Kristol stated firmly,“The VA needs to be fundamentally reformed. And one way it can be reformed is to in fact let people take a voucher and go to a hospital, the same hospital as we all go to, instead of having to go to the VA to get special services. I want to fundamentally reform the VA and reduce it just like we did with the G.I. bill.
“Do you think there needs to be a veterans university?, Kristol continues. And furthermore, I would keep some centers of excellence, research on special things that affect veterans. Some special treatment, that’s fine. There’s no need for a huge sprawling Veterans Administration hospital.”
Smiley responded eluding to the Affordable Care Act, “I’’m not suggesting there ought not to be reform but privatization Bill is not the answer to everything. And the fact of the matter is there are veterans coming home, who Are falling into poverty more and more every day. It’s shameful the way we treat our veterans. Here’s the real problem, the problem is — this issue becomes significant for us when veterans don’t get the health care they need and we want to play politics with this. But there are millions of Americans every day who are being failed by a health care system that the Republicans want to repeal every progress we’re making to serve everyday people whether they’re veterans or not.”
The neoconservative commentator asked the liberal Smiley, “If they got a generous voucher to use to purchase the health insurance they need or the health care they need how would that be failing veterans?”, as the show went to break.
