Fox News Contributor Handily Debunks VA-Obamacare Connection

On a recent episode of Fox News Sunday, host Chris Wallace tried to link the Veterans Health Administration scandal (VA) with Obamacare, suggesting that due to “big government,” Obamacare will eventually experience management problems similar to those plaguing the VA.

Panelist and USA Today columnist Kirsten Powers disagreed.

”They’re not the same thing. Of course, the VA is really government-run health care where you have the government controlling everything. That’s not what Obamacare is. Obamacare is more like insurance. You don’t have the doctors working for Obamacare. So I don’t think it’s the same thing.”

Powers went on to say that Wallace’s position is not an unusual one for Republicans. The specter of big government is a common weapon in the GOP arsenal, she said.

”So this is not a surprising argument coming from Republicans. It is always their argument. Take anything that is happening in the world and this is the argument that they funnel it through. It’s always proof that big government is a problem. So it’s not surprising.”

Many have suggested that privatization is the answer to the VA’s woes, but that would be a mistake said Powers:

”So this idea that somehow putting things off into the private sector is going to make everything work also doesn’t work if you consider your experiences, at least experiences I’ve had with insurance companies, health insurance companies.”