Video: The Daily Show Takes on the VA Hospital System
Comedy Central
In a segment called 'Ignoring Private Ryan,' Jon Stewart checks in with the problematic agency.
Daily Show host Jon Stewart has come back from a three-month absence and decided to check in on the progress of the Veteran Affairs Department's backlogged benefits, but he came across a more deadly problem plaguing the VA and its hospitals instead.
"It turns out, VA benefits aren't always so beneficial," Stewart said.
Several VA hospitals over the past 2 years had problems including an outbreak of legionaires disease, exposure of patients to hepatitis and failure to monitor mental health patients.
"Going to an American hosptial, for a veteran, shouldn't require more courage than storming the beach at Normandy," Stewart said.
Congress has made plans to review bonuses given to employees at hospitals that had problems with patient care, though Stewart has litte hope that will fix the problem. More recently, the House Veteran Affairs Committee has launched a new accountability website , meant to highlight poor-performing VA executives that were awarded bonuses.
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