UPDATE
Under withering criticism from veterans and Congress, President Obama on Wednesday abandoned a proposal that would have required veterans to use their private health insurance to pay for the treatment of combat-related injuries.
DISCLOSURE: The Chief is a 26-year veteran of the Navy and Naval Reserve, without any service-incurred medical problems, so PERSONALLY I have no dog in this fight, except for very strong feelings on what’s fitting and proper for the government when dealing with those who have put their lives and blood on the line in the service of the country.
When the government is dominated by the left both in the White House and on The Hill, one supposes that this sort of thing is what has to be expected, given the gut-level enmity that the hard left traditionally carries for virtually all things military.
What makes this idea even more diagnostic of this attitude is that the Workmen’s Compensation laws extend medical coverage for civilian employment related injuries, but here’s B.O. and his henchmen acting to limit coverage for service-incurred medical problems. Any employer that tried to pull something like this would have severe legal repercussions (at the least!), but apparently this is just fine coming from the Olympian heights of the B.O. administration.
At the same time this is happening, there continues unrelenting opposition from the left side to any form of means testing Ponzi-scheme government “entitlements” like Social (In)Security and Medicare.
(And save the empty rhetoric…any claim that the Obamanation Abomination is anything but hard left is laughable.)
Obama mulls making vets foot bill for service injuries
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.â€
American Legion Strongly Opposed to President’s Plan to Charge Wounded Heroes for Treatment
The leader of the nation’s largest veterans organization says he is “deeply disappointed and concerned” after a meeting with President Obama today to discuss a proposal to force private insurance companies to pay for the treatment of military veterans who have suffered service-connected disabilities and injuries. The Obama administration recently revealed a plan to require private insurance carriers to reimburse the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in such cases.
“It became apparent during our discussion today that the President intends to move forward with this unreasonable plan,” said Commander David K. Rehbein of The American Legion. “He says he is looking to generate $540-million by this method, but refused to hear arguments about the moral and government-avowed obligations that would be compromised by it.”
The Commander, clearly angered as he emerged from the session said, “This reimbursement plan would be inconsistent with the mandate ‘ to care for him who shall have borne the battle’ given that the United States government sent members of the armed forces into harm’s way, and not private insurance companies. I say again that The American Legion does not and will not support any plan that seeks to bill a veteran for treatment of a service connected disability at the very agency that was created to treat the unique need of America’s veterans!”
When the B.O. is unwilling to give veterans the same priority in coverage that civilian employees get, clearly the B.O. administration is showing it’s true colors and the level of (dis)respect that it has for the military, and by extension, those who have and do serve in it.