| Submit your comments on this article |
| Home Front Economy |
| Obama mulls making vets foot bill for service injuries |
| 2009-03-17 |
| Given that Obama is the Commander in Chief, my question is, if he shoots himself in the foot, will he have to pay his own medical expenses? I suspect that answer is no, the whole country will WASHINGTON—The Obama administration is considering making veterans use private insurance to pay for treatment of combat and service-related injuries. The plan would be an about-face on what veterans believe is a long-standing pledge to pay for health care costs that result from their military service. But in a White House meeting Monday, veterans groups apparently failed to persuade President Obama to take the plan off the table. “Veterans of all generations agree that this proposal is bad for the country and bad for veterans,” said Paul Rieckhoff, executive director of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. “If the president and the OMB [Office of Management and Budget] want to cut costs, they can start at AIG, not the VA.” Under current policy, veterans are responsible for health care costs that are unrelated to their military service. Exceptions in some cases can be made for veterans who do not have private insurance or are 100 percent disabled. The president spoke Monday at the Department of Veterans Affairs to commemorate its 20th anniversary and said he hopes to increase funding by $25 billion over the next five years. But he said nothing about the plan to bill private insurers for service-related medical care. Few details about the plan have been available, and a VA spokesman did not provide additional information. But the reaction on Capitol Hill to the idea has been swift and harsh. “Dead on arrival” is how Democratic Sen. Patty Murray of Washington described the idea. . . when our troops are injured while serving our country, we should take care of those injuries completely,” Murray, a member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, told a hearing last week. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki said at the same hearing that the plan was “a consideration.” He also acknowledged that the VAs proposed budget for next year included it as a way to increase revenue. But he told the committee that “a final decision hasnt been made yet.” For veterans, that was little comfort. Veterans claim that the costs of treating expensive war injuries could raise their insurance costs, as well as those for their employers. Some worried that it also could make it more difficult for disabled veterans to find work. The leaders of several veterans groups had written Obama last month complaining about the new plan. “There is simply no logical explanation for billing a veterans personal insurance for care that the VA has a responsibility to provide,” they wrote. Many veterans had high expectations for Obama after years of battling the Bush administration over benefit cuts and medical concerns such as post-traumatic stress disorder. But the VAs decision to float a potential change in its policy of paying for service-related injuries could signal a quick end to the honeymoon. “Its a betrayal,” said Joe Violante, legislative director of Disabled American Veterans, which signed the letter to Obama. “My insurance company didnt send me to Vietnam, my government did. The same holds true for men and women now fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. Its the governments responsibility.” Meanwhile, a new poll by the independent Pew Research Center for the People & the Press has found Obamas approval rating falling to 59 percent from 64 percent in February. It also found the ranks of Americans who disapprove of his job performance rising, to 26 percent from 17 percent. Pew found that 44 percent think that the president listens more to liberals than to moderates in his party, while 30 percent think he listens more to moderates. In January, 44 percent thought he listened more to moderates and 34 percent more to liberals. |
| Posted by:Omoter Speaking for Boskone7794 |
| #28 Hmm. Is this before or after he taxes health care benefits for all of us (and yes, that option is still on the table, even though he had a field day razzing McCain over that boneheaded idea during the campaign)? I was raised to always treat veterans with respect, but if I see another one with a "veterans for Obama" bumper sticker on their vehicles, it's gonna be damn difficult to not laugh out loud and point at the sucker. |
| Posted by: Cornsilk Blondie 2009-03-17 22:07 |
| #27 how much press is this getting? so far ive seen it on cnn and this post. Deniable trail balloon, I hope. CitiGirl, veterans groups are unhappy, according to Fox News; the American Legion has issued a press release; and, according to CNN, the Democratic chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs committee has announced he will not allow any such bill out of his committee. Separately, I hear there's a move to set aside US$10 billion for Madoff victims. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2009-03-17 21:47 |
| #26 Outrageous! Our vets and their disabilities need to be taken care of--PERIOD! The insurance companies most likely would say that war-related injuries (in the fine print) are pre-existing conditions and would not pay for them. |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2009-03-17 21:08 |
| #25 "Too stupid to live" That principle would take out a load of our political ruling class. Too messy. Better to keep people alive and around to remind the usual suspects [those who believe they know better than everyone else] that they have a reason to be embarrassed. Or to paraphrase Mark Twain - man is the only animal that blushes or has a need to. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2009-03-17 19:09 |
| #24 My 2 cents, the fool just tacked a target on his back, he may not live long with this kind of stupidity spewing out of his mouth. The phrases "Too stupid to live", and "Some folks just need killin", both come to mind, and HE DID IT TO HIMSELF. |
| Posted by: Redneck Jim 2009-03-17 18:47 |
| #23 I haven't read the full article (why bother when I can read the comments here on Rantburg?), but I do believe that this is just a trial balloon so that Barry can withdraw it and say that it was Shinseki's stupid idea. Even Patty Murray (D-Wash) attacked it. |
| Posted by: Rambler in Virginia 2009-03-17 17:34 |
| #22 Wasn't it Truman who had 'The Buck Stops Here". Obama has "Don't let a crisis go to waste". Even if he has to create it himself. (and thanks CitiGirl....) |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2009-03-17 15:51 |
| #21 oops, meant to reply to nimble. sorry:-) |
| Posted by: CitiGirl 2009-03-17 15:49 |
| #20 Shipman, I think youre right, this seems like a strongarm technique to make in-roads towards Nationalized Healthcare. If a few hundred or thousands of Vets die by neglect in the process, they already signed up to get themselves killed for the US, so cannon meet fodder. Its so insidious, but I think this is small part of a disgusting larger design. |
| Posted by: CitiGirl 2009-03-17 15:49 |
| #19 Obama (pbho) is going to do everything he can to force us to beg for socialized medicine. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2009-03-17 15:37 |
| #18 I doubt any of this is even half what we think. Do you really think O would make vets go out of pocket? This is a oppo wet dream. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2009-03-17 15:33 |
| #17 We had this article a few days ago. Shinseki is already on record as saying this is something the VA is considering. |
| Posted by: Deacon Blues 2009-03-17 15:20 |
| #16 "The United States Secret Service is a United States federal government law enforcement agency that falls under the United States Department of Homeland Security" - Wiki. Used to be under Treasury Department till 2003. Theyre covered, always. Secret Service would be the last ones to lose coverage. |
| Posted by: CitiGirl 2009-03-17 14:30 |
| #15 I wonder of this extends to the secret service - you know the guys who are supposed to 'take a bullet' to protect the President. |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2009-03-17 13:41 |
| #14 Mark Levin had an interesting take on this move as a political ploy to increase public support for socialized medicine in two parts: 1.) the expansion of SCHIP to those who could afford private coverage several weeks ago would increase dependence on state run health care programs; 2.) requiring private insurance to pay for veterans' treatment would not only crush the private sector companies providing the care financially, but would have the side "benefit" of stories of veterans complaining about private healthcare's inadequacies. |
| Posted by: mjhlaw 2009-03-17 13:40 |
| #13 Be ok with me if Peloosi takes THIS one home every week end, as long as she buys the gas and does the driving. One ole goat for another. Fair swap I'd say. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2009-03-17 13:38 |
| #12 Pelosi should get NO more "taxi service" flights across the country from the military. If anyone is injured hauling here ass around the country, they are not covered. If they have to use private insurance, she uses private airlines. |
| Posted by: Waldemar Omomonter3841 2009-03-17 13:20 |
| #11 IMA bet my newest commemorative Barry plate and matching coin set with red velvet crescent moon shadow box, that Shinseki stays on Frank. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2009-03-17 13:13 |
| #10 Will Shinseki resign his VA Sec'ty position or will he suck up and stay on to further dishonor himself? |
| Posted by: Frank G 2009-03-17 13:08 |
| #9 Oregon, good point, how much press is this getting? so far ive seen it on cnn and this post. IMHO, it seems good to get the word out on this amongst us citizens, because i feel like this isnt getting nearly the attention it deserves. |
| Posted by: CitiGirl 2009-03-17 12:52 |
| #8 (cut to) Merkin Muffley stroking his chin: "Hmmmmm..." |
| Posted by: mojo 2009-03-17 12:43 |
| #7 Obama claims he's not going to raise our taxes if we make less than $250K/yr. But he is planning to raise our insurance costs, raise our electric bills, etc. Either way, we lose. |
| Posted by: Darrell 2009-03-17 12:42 |
| #6 I wonder how many Democrats who are veterans will still vote for him in 2012. Sounds sucidal to me. |
| Posted by: Richard of Oregon 2009-03-17 12:33 |
| #5 Even suggesting that vets pay for their service injuries is preposterous. This signals Obama has started open season on kissing up to his base of military haters (in exchange for their silence about the 50 thousand troops he'll leave in Iraq to get maimed and captured). Perhaps hes lumping vets in with Gitmo terrorists, just hoping all of us will just go away? Meanwhile, back at the O-K Corral, hes losing/lost respect of his moderate supporters. He only panders to what the farthest lefties think. |
| Posted by: CitiGirl 2009-03-17 12:28 |
| #4 Trial balloon. A lead one. If he tries it, he'll get crushed like a bug. |
| Posted by: tu3031 2009-03-17 12:15 |
| #3 More Barry, more, more, more! We must hear more your wisdom oh exhaulted one. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2009-03-17 12:12 |
| #2 He really is trying to get us all killed, isn't he? |
| Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305 2009-03-17 11:56 |
| #1 Pew Research Center for the People & the Press has found Obamas approval rating falling to 59 percent from 64 percent in February. It also found the ranks of Americans who disapprove of his job performance rising, to 26 percent from 17 percent. BS. The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Tuesday shows that 37% of the nationÂ’s voters now Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as President. Thirty-two percent (32%) now Strongly Disapprove giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of +5 (see trends). Overall, 56% of voters say they at least somewhat approve of the PresidentÂ’s performance so far while 43% disapprove. ... Currently, the baseline targets for the adult population are 41.1% Democrats, 33.0% Republicans, and 25.9% unaffiliated. |
| Posted by: ed 2009-03-17 11:23 |
