Turning the embattled Department of Veterans Affairs over to the private sector would be a step in the wrong direction, President Obama told the Colorado Springs Gazette this weekend.

"I think the main message is that we've still got a lot of work to do. It's an all-hands-on-deck process,” he says.

But, he adds, “The notion of dismantling the V.A. system would be a mistake. If you look at, for example, V.A. health care, there have been challenges getting people into the system. Once they are in, they are extremely satisfied and the quality of care is very high.”

The V.A. has been bedeviled in recent years by revelations of long waiting lists for veterans seeking operations and negligence by top department officials. The scandal forced the resignation two years ago of V.A. Secretary Eric Shinseki, who was replaced by former Procter & Gamble CEO Robert A. McDonald.

"I think Secretary McDonald has done a terrific job," says Obama. "Since there's only eight months left in my administration, he's got all the way until then to run through the tape."

McDonald has encountered his own controversies, however, most recently by comparing lines at V.A. facilities to those at Disney World.

A number of conservative advocacy groups, including the Arlington, Va.-based Concerned Veterans of America, have pushed for the eventual privatization of veterans' care.

Legislation passed in response to the scandal in 2014 authorized $16 billion of additional funding for veterans health care, as well as a partial privatization measure that allows the department to contract with private providers if there is no department facility within 40 miles of the patient.

Hillary Clinton, who will likely be the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, is also against privatization, while presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has said that veterans should be able to receive care from any facility or doctor that accepts Medicare.

Trump has made vets a major talking point of his campaign, repeatedly boasting that he has raised $6 million for veterans charities during a campaign event he organized instead of attending a GOP debate in January.

The Washington Post later revealed that there was no evidence that that money had actually been raised or distributed to the intended recipients. Trump responded to the revelations by belatedly sending out a dozen checks to veterans groups and bashing the media for questioning his integrity.

Instant Insights /

Obama says no to V.A. privatization

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