On Top Of The News Email:news@arubatoday.com website: www.arubatoday.com Tel:+297 582-7800 Tuesday, July 12, 2016

Veterans
Affairs

Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump listens to a question during an interview after a rally in Virginia Beach, Va., Monday, July 11, 2016.
                                                                                                                                                                                                           (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

Trump: Plan to Revamp Veterans Care Will Save Lives

MATTHEW DALY                 top-quality care.”            many as 40 veterans died        A spokesman for Democrat       wolves,” said the group’s
JILL COLVIN                  His plan was not a way to     while waiting for care at a     Hillary Clinton’s campaign     president, J. David Cox.
Associated Press             privatize the VA, as some     Phoenix VA hospital. Similar    said Trump’s plan would        Cox accused Trump of
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (AP)     critics have charged, but     problems were soon dis-         “irreversibly” lead to priva-  “writing a blank check to
— Republican Donald          instead was “a way of not     covered nationwide amid         tization of the VA.            huge hospital corporations
Trump pledged Monday         allowing people to die        revelations that veterans       Trump’s plan “is not a fix at  to profit off the suffering of
to expand programs that      waiting for doctors,” Trump   were waiting months for         all; it’s an ideological cru-  veterans.” A law approved
allow veterans to choose     said. In an interview Mon-    medical care even as VA         sade” that “would gut the      in the wake of the wait-time
their doctor and clinics     day with The Associated       employees created secret        VA of the resources need-      scandal created a “Veter-
— regardless of whether      Press, Trump said people      waiting lists and other false-  ed to provide high-quality,    ans Choice” program that
they’re affiliated with De-  are “are dying because        hoods to cover up the de-       coordinated care,” said        allows veterans to seek pri-
partment of Veterans Af-     they can’t even get to see    lays.                           Bishop Garrison, an Army       vate care at government
fairs — and still receive    a doctor. This is a way that  Trump called problems at        veteran and Clinton ad-        expense, but the program
government-paid medical      we’re going to end that.”     the VA under President          viser.                         is limited to veterans who
care. In a policy speech     “Never again will we allow    Barack Obama “wide-             The American Federation        have waited at least 30
announcing a 10-point        a veteran to suffer or die    spread and totally inexcus-     of Government Employees        days for an appointment or
plan for veterans, Trump     waiting for the care they so  able” and said that under       called Trumps’ plan privati-   live at least 40 miles from a
said he “begins with a sim-  richly deserve,” he said.     his leadership, “We are go-     zation by another name.        VA health site.
ple promise: Every veteran   Trump was referring to a      ing to save money and we        “Donald Trump wants
will get timely access to    2014 scandal in which as      are going to save lives.”       to throw veterans to the             Continued on Page 4