19 May 2014 - Veterans care scandal
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White House: Obama 'madder than hell' about veterans care scandal
Edmund Sanders (The Chicago Tribune)
With pressure mounting over the Veterans Affairs scandal, White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough said Sunday that President Obama was "madder than hell" over allegations of inadequate medical care for veterans.
But while McDonough voiced confidence in embattled VA Secretary Eric Shinseki's ability to resolve the matter, he stopped short of offering a full vote of confidence.
Shinseki is facing numerous calls to step down amid complaints about long waiting times for treatment at VA medical facilities in several cities and attempts by VA employees to cover up the delays.
“Gen. Shinseki continues to work this every single day,” McDonough told CBS News’ White House Correspondent Major Garrett on "Face the Nation." “And he will continue to work these issues until they're fixed.”
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Context
Michael D. Tanner (The New York Post)
The news is shocking: Patients dying on the waiting list for government-provided healthcare. But this is not a report from Canada or the British National Health Service. It’s right here in America, in the health system administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The problems first surfaced in Phoenix, where the wait to receive care at VA facilities had grown so long that 1,400 to 1,600 sick veterans were forced to wait months to see a doctor. As many as 40 veterans reportedly died because they couldn’t get the care they needed. VA administrators tried to cover up the problems by establishing secret waiting lists and falsifying reports.
The scandal has now spread to other veteran facilities. VA employees at an outpatient clinic in Fort Collins, Colo., falsified appointment records to hide the fact that as many as 6,300 veterans treated at the outpatient clinic waited months to be seen for treatment. In Wyoming, whistleblowers have accused officials of manipulating records to hide wait times.
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Consequences
Leo Shane III (The Military Times)
The Veterans Affairs Department’s top health official abruptly resigned Friday amid the exploding scandal over delays in veterans’ care.
VA Undersecrertary for Health Dr. Robert Petzel was already scheduled to retire later this summer, but VA Secretary Eric Shinseki asked for his resignation early.
In a statement, Shinseki thanked Petzel for his four decades of service at the department but said a change is needed.
“As we know from the veteran community, most veterans are satisfied with the quality of their VA health care, but we must do more to improve timely access to that care,” Shinseki said. “I am committed to strengthening veterans’ trust and confidence in their VA healthcare system.
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Seen from England
David Martosko (The Daily Mail)
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs official in charge of the agency's sprawling health care system resigned abruptly on Friday, just a day after telling a U.S. Senate committee that he knew in 2010 about a memo describing 'inappropriate scheduling practices' now blamed for as many as 40 deaths at VA medical centers.
Complaints about long wait lists and falsified patient appointment reports have dogged VA hospitals and clinics nationwide.
Dr. Robert Petzel, a 40-year veteran of the VA system and its undersecretary for health, tendered his resignation even though he was already scheduled to retire later in the year. The White House announced his successor on May 1 but said Petzel would remain in his job until Jeffrey Murawsky, director of the VA's Illinois-based Great Lakes Health Care System, wins Senate confirmation.
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19 May 2014 - Veterans care scandal, La Clé des Langues [en ligne], Lyon, ENS de LYON/DGESCO (ISSN 2107-7029), mai 2014. Consulté le 27/12/2024. URL: https://cle.ens-lyon.fr/anglais/key-story/archives-revue-de-presse-2014/19-may-2014-veterans-care-scandal