Center for American Progress

Counterpoint: Privatization Advocates Want to Get U.S. Out of Health Business
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Counterpoint: Privatization Advocates Want to Get U.S. Out of Health Business

Author Lawrence J. Korb argues that Dr. David Shulkin was pushed out of his position as head of the Department of Veterans Affairs and Rear Adm. Ronny Jackson was forced to withdraw his nomination for the position because neither supported the complete privatization of veterans’ health care.

The public reasons given for firing Dr. David Shulkin as head of the Department of Veterans Affairs and the withdrawal of Rear Adm. Ronny Jackson’s nomination to replace him were misleading. Shulkin was not forced to resign because he took one unauthorized trip (compared to EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, he was a paragon of virtue). Nor was Jackson forced to withdraw because of his lack of management experience (three former VA chiefs endorsed him, and this criteria did not keep Trump from selecting many others for Cabinet positions).

Shulkin and Jackson were pushed aside because neither believed that completely privatizing veterans’ health care was a good idea for veterans or the country.

The above excerpt was originally published in Inside Sources. Click here to view the full article.

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Authors

Lawrence J. Korb

Senior Fellow

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