Veterans Affairs secretary nominee opposes privatization of vets health care
August 08, 2018
During a Senate confirmation hearing, Robert Wilkie, the nominee to head the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), testified he is against the privatization of VA care and pledged to better integrate outside health systems.
Wilkie, who most recently served as the VA’s acting secretary, said if he is confirmed to lead the expansive federal agency, then the following would be his priorities: improving the culture by improving customer service, making it easier for veterans to have access to care, decreasing the backlog of benefits payments and reforming the department’s human resources systems.
“Many of the issues I encountered as Acting Secretary were not with the quality of medical care but with getting our veterans through the door to reach that care,” Wilkie testified. “Those problems are administrative and bureaucratic. Alexander Hamilton said, ‘The true test of a good government is its aptitude and tendency to produce a good administration.’ That is where VA must go.”
The previous VA secretary, David Shulkin, also opposed the privatization of VA care. In a New York Times op-ed written after he was fired, Shulkin argued privatizing the VA would harm veterans.
“I am convinced that privatization is a political issue aimed at rewarding select people and companies with profits, even if it undermines care for veterans,” Shulkin wrote.