Did you hear what Veterans Affairs Secretary Bob McDonald said about the long wait times for patient care at VA hospitals?  He actually compared the unacceptable wait times to Disney World, saying "when you go to Disney, do they measure the number of hours you wait in line? Or what’s important? What’s important is, what’s your satisfaction with the experience?”

Wow.  How could a man whose primary responsibility is caring for our nation's brave military veterans be so callous and tone-deaf?

In the New York Post today, IWV's Hadley Heath Manning posits that American veterans would be much better off if Disney was running the VA, instead of McDonald and the federal government:

Private companies like Disney have to compete every day with other entertainment companies and theme parks. If Universal Studios or Six Flags is using cutting-edge technology to measure wait times, well, Disney better figure it out, too.

The problem with the VA is that veterans are trapped in the system, with no such recourse if they receive poor or untimely care.

Despite efforts at “reforms” that would offer veterans more choice, not much has changed at the VA. The 2014 Veterans’ Access, Choice, and Accountability Act has not worked as intended. The idea was that veterans getting substandard service at VA facilities could seek care from private doctors, but in reality the restrictions on this option are too great to allow for meaningful choice.

Veterans deserve better service, and they deserve a VA secretary who will be a true advocate on their behalf.

As many people have pointed out, if you want an idea of what real government-run health care would look like, look no further than the VA.  As Hadley said, our veterans deserve much better than this.  All Americans deserve choice and quality in their health care.  That's why we need market-based solutions that improve the standard of care received by veterans and everyone else.