Republicans Praise Government-Run Health Care … For Veterans
Republicans Praise Government-Run Health Care … For Veterans
A bipartisan group of lawmakers and prominent veterans groups are outraged over an Obama administration proposal — currently under consideration — to allow third-party insurance companies to pay for combat-related injuries. The proposal would “save the Department of Veterans Affairs $530 million a year,” but critics argue that asking private insurers to pick up the tab for combat injuries is not just immoral but also economically disastrous. The private insurers could jack up premiums, families could lose coverage if a veteran meets the maximum benefit amount for their insurance, and insurers could deny claims if a veteran is insured through the individual market, deny coverage etc…
The episode highlights the inadequacy of the nation’s patchwork health system and the dangers of skyrocketing health care costs in the private insurance market. Outraged Republicans are also suggesting that access to affordable health care is more important than balancing budgets! (Bodes well for the health care debate, right?)
But the party of ‘country first’ now finds itself in a peculiar political position. While loudly and proudly caricaturing the administration’s health care proposal as government-run socialism, Republicans are tripping over themselves to keep veterans in the system.
Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC), who sits on the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, demonstrates this hypocrisy:
On Veterans Leaving Government-Run Health Care: “If this bill reaches the Senate, I will strongly oppose it. The VA was created for the purpose of caring for those who have fought and sacrificed for our country, and the care for injuries sustained while serving is our responsibility.”
On The Consequences of Government-Run Health Care: “In short, government-sponsored health care will do for the health care economy what government-sponsored mortgages did to the housing market. The unintended consequences of government-sponsored health care would be catastrophic.”
On The Consequences of Obama’s Proposal: “If one side wins, one can expect the federal government to take over more of the responsibility of health care. To actually place the government in between a patient and their doctor. I’m not sure that’s what the majority of Americans want. I think they want a private sector that works for them as individuals, them as employers.
As Uwe Reinhardt asked during yesterday’s health hearing before the House Committee On Commerce and Energy, “Why do you give veterans socialized medicine when it’s so bad?” It’s a question Republicans are now struggling to answer.
13 Responses to “Republicans Praise Government-Run Health Care … For Veterans”
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Can someone help me out.
Is this position on veterans a political ploy? Is this simply a way to make Republicans look stupid on Health Care, or is this a serious proposal.
I admit it makes me a bit nervous. If the government can do this to the military with health care, what is to stop them from saying “lifeguards with skin cancer don’t get coverage” or other occupational specific health coverage?
The idea that the only real government health coverage today would dump coverage for a very real occupational hazard, combat related injuries for military personnel, simply feeds into the concerns that political whim can exercise control over government health care.
If it is just a ploy, maybe it could be effective, but I think peoples health care is serious enough it shouldn’t be the object of a political game.
March 18th, 2009 at 3:13 pmGood enough for our troops, but not for our mothers and children?
March 18th, 2009 at 4:51 pmAre you trying to be funny? This has nothing to do with the quality of health care and everything to do with ripping off the wounded vets! They do not get to go to civilian health care if this is enacted, all this does is try to make the vets health insurance they had before they were called up on active duty, or what insurance thier spouse has defray the medical expense for the Federal Government.
This is done for non-combat related illness or injury now. It use to be that the “medical” benifit the GI received was just that, towards the end of my career I had to list my wife’s medical insurance she got from her civilian employer so that the DoD could go after them for medical expenses incured while I was on duty.
That is total BS. This highlights the nations government’s desire to take everything they can from anyone they can. You dragging the injured vets into this is DISGRACEFUL!
MSgt USAF, Ret
March 18th, 2009 at 5:03 pmUwe Reinhardt served on the Triad Hospitals board with Nancy-Ann DeParle. Both made serious money on the sale.
Did Uwe land a spot on the Legacy Health Systems board? Nancy-Ann did.
For-profit healthcare has an insider spot in America’s health care reform.
March 18th, 2009 at 8:15 pmObama’s proposal is a bugdet shell game. It moves the cost of service injury treatment to the private sector, i.e. soldiers will pay more for their health insurance.
It also turns the care, if VA provided, into private revenue for the VA system. They dump the cost and add private insured revenue.
It’s a dump by the Obama administration. Expect much more, especially if you have employer sponsored health insurance.
March 18th, 2009 at 8:17 pmVeterans want a choice between public coverage from the VA and private coverage from insurers. Shouldn’t everyone in the country have that choice?
March 18th, 2009 at 11:57 pmWay to frame this as a case of Republican hypocrisy.
March 19th, 2009 at 5:19 amWTF is Obama going to have to do to get criticized if cutting VA benefits to wounded vets isn’t going to cut it?
jps,
do you have a clue about what is being discussed. There is no choice being offered. What Obama wants to do is try to make the vets health insurance they had before they were called up on active duty, or what insurance thier spouse has defray the medical expense for the Federal Government.
March 19th, 2009 at 8:50 amLMAO. Teh shameless spin. It has unintended consequences.
March 19th, 2009 at 9:10 amThe episode highlights the inadequacy of the nation’s patchwork health system and the dangers of skyrocketing health care costs in the private insurance market. Outraged Republicans are also suggesting that access to affordable health care is more important than balancing budgets!
March 19th, 2009 at 10:12 amVernon, I understand very clearly what is happening.
Do vets think it’s more patriotic to have the taxpayers pick up 100% of their medical bills instead of using any of the private insurance coverage that their family is already paying for? Sure they do, because the high-deductible, co-pay-ridden, rate-hiking private insurance companies currently sucking the life-blood out of our country’s economy are so pathetic that nobody with an ounce of patriotic blood in their body could be proud to have their own family anywhere near their so-called coverage.
Veterans need to either lead with an alternative on this issue, follow Obama to a public universal coverage option, or get out of the way.
March 19th, 2009 at 12:57 pmVeterans need to either lead with an alternative on this issue, follow Obama to a public universal coverage option, or get out of the way.
You are comparing apples and oranges. Federal employees, including military personnel, are getting health insurance from their employer, the Federal government. This issue is specific to existing employer coverage, and you are trying to make it into something else.
You cannot treat the coverage of an employer for employee the same as universal health care for joe citizen, who does not work for the federal government.
You mix apples and oranges when you try to link the issues, and simply add confusion to the universal health insurance issue.
March 19th, 2009 at 9:56 pmVets, if you have other insurance PLEASE don’t go to the VA. Our VA medical center here in WV is very poor. I’ve lost count of the horror stories I’ve heard first hand from the veteran’s themselves.
Obama needs to do something to improve the QUALITY of care for our veterans, ASAP!
March 31st, 2009 at 3:43 pm