VA Secretary Blasted For Comparing Clinic Wait Times To Disneyland Lines

“When you go to Disneyland, do they measure the number of hours you wait in line?” Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald asked. “What’s important? What’s important is: What’s your satisfaction with the experience?” Critics are calling the comments flippant and saying the secretary "is utterly out of touch."

Republicans are criticizing Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald after he compared wait times to receive VA health care to the hours people wait for rides at Disney theme parks. McDonald has told reporters on Monday that the VA should not use wait times as a measure of success because Disney doesn't either. (5/23)

Critics said Monday that Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald had trivialized the long-standing problem of lengthy wait times for appointments at California’s veterans medical centers by comparing them to waiting in long lines at Disneyland. (Ybarra, 5/23)

The secretary of Veterans Affairs said Monday that the VA is “close” to filling the long-vacant position as head of the St. Louis VA, but cautioned that pay and politics could again thwart efforts to fill the job. It has been open almost three years, and finalists have backed out because of what Robert McDonald described as concern over pay or taking a top position in a federal department under heavy public and congressional scrutiny. (Raasch, 5/24)

This is part of the Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.

�鶹Ů��

Trump 2.0

Public Health

Audio Reports

Special Reports

More Topics