The plan has ignited a political firestorm in the veteran's community, and a meeting Monday with President Barack Obama failed to tamp it down. But the same veterans groups that met with Obama have been asked to come back to meet with his chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, for more discussions.
The plan to save money by cutting veterans' benefits remains sketchy, but the Obama administration is weighing whether to make veterans use private insurance to pay for treatment of combat injuries and other health problems that resulted from their military service.
Veterans currently are responsible only for health-care costs that are unrelated to their time in the military, with some exceptions.
Several veterans' advocates suggested that the White House was unprepared for the political backlash to its plan from veterans and their supporters on Capitol Hill and might be looking for a graceful exit.
"Why pick a fight that's going to consume time and energy that doesn't need to happen?" asked Doug Vollmer, a lobbyist for the Paralyzed Veterans of America.
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said "no decisions have been made" about changing benefits for veterans. Gibbs said they "can be assured that the president understands any concerns that they would have."
Obama on Monday told the advocates that the government could save $540 million by making veterans use private insurance for all medical care.
But to veterans and their advocates, government-financed health coverage is their "third rail" of politics. They believe that upon enlistment, the government pledged lifetime coverage for injuries sustained on the battlefield or elsewhere.
Reversing that "cuts to the quick of the covenant between the people and those who take the step forward, pledging life and limb, often at great cost, in defense of the United States," said Rick Weidman, a lobbyist for the Vietnam Veterans of America.
Still, veterans' advocates said they were open to discussing alternatives, which is likely to be the topic Thursday. One option could be to have some veterans use their private insurance for treatment of service-related injuries, but without requiring co-payments.
Another option could be allowing the Department of Veterans Affairs to bill Medicare for an eligible veteran's coverage. Currently, if a veteran eligible for both Medicare and the VA and uses the VA, the agency is not allowed to bill Medicare.
"This, we believe, would more easily meet the president's financial goal," David Rehbein, the commander of the American Legion, said in a statement
Apart from the tempest over private insurance, several veterans' advocates said that Obama has been a supporter of their concerns. His proposed budget for 2010 of nearly $113 billion for Veterans Affairs was more than $1 billion more than the plan they had been pushing.
But many said they were surprised by the ham-handedness of the private insurance effort because it seemed that no one in either the White House or the VA took into consideration how veterans would react.
Or the Congress, where several members have called the plan "dead on arrival."
Paul Rieckhoff, the executive director of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, likened it to the problems Bill Clinton faced in 1993 at the outset of his presidency when he proposed the "don't ask, don't tell" policy about gays in the military.
"The president needs to drop this," Rieckhoff said. "The longer we wait, the more it hurts his relations with the VSOs (Veterans Service Organizations) and with vets, this is a no-brainer. ... We don't understand why he's picking this fight."
From: http://www.kansascity.com/news/nation/story/1092512.html
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Comments: 70
So, instead, I will comment on the fact that all of your articles seem to be blatant ploys to stir up the *ignorant people and garner some points. That stinks.
You can count me out.
*who are these people? well....look at the 4 replies over me...
There is a lot of things I don't know. I don't know how many fundamental changes the USA would need to no longer be the land of the free and the home of the brave. I don't know how many of our freedoms we will have to learn to do without because of the fundamental changed BO is bringing us. By the time his term is over I don't know if we will be able to tell America apart from any other state run country.
7 Benefits of Fish Oil
and got 149 comments on
Agree or Disagree
What type of articles do you think people want to read? Isn't it kind of a waste of time to post things no one is interested in reading>
Ignore the nincompoops (E.M and Sandy) who attacked you; it's an Obama fan kneejerk reaction to your criticizism of the "messiah".
Gosh, call me crazy, but that sounds like there is a plan in the works to me. But maybe I'm just being ignorant. Maybe I should just bury my head in the sand until after it all happens, and then I can complain that is just isn't fair or that it is the fault of the prior administration.
Thank you for posting, Mary. The time for people to get involved with their elected officials is not AFTER the objectionable action has been taken.
"WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Veterans groups are angry after President Obama told them Monday that he is still considering a proposal to have treatment for service-connected injuries charged to veterans' private insurance plans."
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/03/17/obama.veterans/
". . .Obama did most of the talking for the administration in the session with veterans representatives, participants said. Shinseki did not speak much in the meeting, which was described as "professional" by David Gorman, executive director of Disabled American Veterans."
" . . .The groups have another meeting with the White House on Thursday to suggest other options. Both AMVETS and Disabled American Veterans believe that the VA could raise more revenue by being more aggressive about pursuing billings for non-service-connected treatments. Increasing third-party billing for non-service related injuries by 10 percent, suggested Agg, would free up more money to help service-related injuries."
" . . .He said the president complained that instead of commending the significant budget increase for the VA -- an 11 percent increase in 2010 and $25 billion over five years -- the groups are complaining about this proposal. But Gorman said that the issue of third-party billing is fundamental to the VA and that it is a "distraction" from discussing the budget increases."
" . . .Another group, the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, said that although it is encouraged by the increase in money for veterans' health care, the billing proposal is not acceptable."
". . .The opposition is not a surprise to the White House. The groups had sent a letter opposing the idea when it was just a rumor. Last week, Congress weighed in when members of both the House and Senate Veterans Affairs committees told Shinseki at separate meetings that they objected to the plan."
Sorry for duplicate comments ... I thought I'd put the code for bold characters in wrong, so deleted and tried until it looked right; but apparently the delete comment isn't working. I'll try again to delete the repeats. Or if you have the ability to delete..?
Why do you do this, Mary?
Lee responds:
Your question is a nonsequitor.
Ditto what E.M. said. Why do you do this, Mary? Are Marilyn and Mooch your idols? Do you feel good about yourself at the end of the day when you know you've earned fifty cents on Gather this way?
Sandy Knauer™ , Mar 18, 2009, 9:42am EDT
This move is wrong.
And, if the Obama goes through with this, I won't respect him anymore.
Are Marilyn and Mooch your idols?
Lee responds,
Marilyn and Mooch are no one's idols. They are pretty good gather members, though.
But, again, in the context of the article Mary posted and in light of the fact that you have so far had nothing to say to connect either of them to the why's and wherefore's of this particular article and the actual subjects therein; this question too is a non sequitor.
Ditto what E.M. said. Why do you do this, Mary? Are Marilyn and Mooch your idols? Do you feel good about yourself at the end of the day when you know you've earned fifty cents on Gather this way?
Sandy Knauer™ , Mar 18, 2009, 9:42am EDT
I hope it is sunk. But, it should never have been floated in the first place.
Mary, it's just not going to happen. It was an idea that was floated that sank quickly.
Erik B., Mar 18, 2009, 10:41am EDT
This makes me seethe!! I could say a lot more but will stop here.
Shame, shame, shame...........
This is a disgrace if Obama does this. I guess Hope doesn't apply to our veterans.
No but apparently change does.
Or more appropriately being royally screwed is what its called.
We won now it's truly time for you morons to grow up and help repair our once great country instead of constantly trying to tear it down.
Your article is "spot on" about Obama's intentions. E.M., Sandy, Spartan, Don, and whoever deny his plans are barking at the moon if they claim otherwise. There is even more to the story. These people cannot make any intelligent refutations, or show where anyone who has commented here about Obama's proposal is mistaken. They can only call names and issue personal insults, in their "hit and run" misinformed comment.
Cmdr. David K. Rehbein, American Legion said, "the United States government sent members of the Armed Forces into harm's way, and not private insurance companies,"
He called it, "Obama's desperate search for money at any cost," He said Obama's plan would increase premiums, make insurance unaffordable for veterans and impose a massive hardship on military families. It could also prevent small businesses from hiring veterans who have large health care needs. He noted we are not giving our veterans anything, this is something they were promised and have earned.
So the implication was ... you guys come up with a better idea or this is what's going to happen.
"The president deflected any discussion when it got into any moral issue here," he said. "Any attempt to direct the conversation (to the moral discussion) was immediately deflected."
Make no mistake about it. This IS Obama's plan. It became apparent discussions that Obama intends to move forward with this unreasonable plan. The government needs to find some other way other than on the backs of our wounded veterans. They’ve sacrificed enough. Shame on the Obama administration for attempting to weasel out of our commitment.
Here in Michigan, a young man was diagnosed with leukemia while in boot camp. The Air Force refuses to pay for his health care, claiming the leukemia is a "pre-existing condition."
It had not been previously diagnosed and this young man was committed to laying down his life for those will not pay for his care. Shame on them.
These people try to dictate to you how or what to right( misspelled on purpose, just to tick the spell checker off_)
they complain and whine about anyone who writes anything negative about their idol...
I saw this on the news Mary and thanks for posting it... I have looked over some of the Obama cult worshippers articles and guess what... I think you have more talent than any of them....
The military is our greatest asset, if they want to save money why, did they pass the Schips program... ? These idiots who come up with these ideas on balancing the budget should get their prioties straight... Look , at ll the stupid earmark pork belly spending they are doing... surely, they could cut something else out to save money...
One has to question what is going on in the White House though. Granted vets/service members are not huge fans as a group of his BUT this wasn't a good idea with so much flak coming in on him now every day...