Posted on 03/18/2009 9:18:43 AM PDT by Reaganesque
Apparently President Obama did not get the message that was delivered loud and clear last week by both Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill in hearings on the Administration’s proposed Veterans Administration budget. Rumors had been flying that the Obama Administration was considering a harebrained scheme to charge wounded warriors for the treatment of injuries received in battle. Asked about the scurrilous rumors by Senators Patty Murray (D-WA) and Richard Burr (R-NC), the left’s favorite general, Eric Shinseki, now Obama’s Secretary of Veterans Affairs, confirmed that the plan was “under consideration.
“A final decision hasn’t been made yet,” said Shinseki, as if that made it alright.
In fact, the plan is more than “under consideration,” it is included in President Obama’s $3.6 trillion budget as an increase in revenue for the VA. In other words, the Administration is relying on the plan, not just thinking about it. Besides being a shameful breaking of faith with military men and women who have sacrificed greatly for their country, the plan stands in direct contrast to President Obama’s rhetoric from the campaign trail.
Candidate Obama promised veterans that he would, “restore our sacred trust with our veterans.” As part of that promise, candidate Obama talked about the VA’s budget. From his campaign website:
Veterans Budget Shortfalls: In 2005, a multi-billion dollar VA funding shortfall required Congress to step in and bail out the system. [...]
Fully Fund VA Medical Care: Barack Obama and Joe Biden will fully fund the VA so it has all the resources it needs to serve the veterans who need it, when they need it. Obama and Biden will establish a world-class VA Planning Division to avoid future budget shortfalls.
Barack Obama promised to fully fund the VA. He just didn’t tell veterans that the money would be coming out of their pockets.
The plan Obama has included in his budget would increase “third-party” collections at VA hospitals. Translated, that means insurance payments. The Administration hopes to raise $540 million for the VA by charging wounded soldiers’ private insurance plans for treatment of their service-related injuries. Currently, veterans’ insurance is only billed for treatments of non-service-related medical conditions, such as when a vet goes to the VA for the flu. This would potentially expose wounded soldiers home from Iraq and Afghanistan to co-pays and deductibles for treatment of injuries they received on the battlefield.
The Administration is so committed to this disgraceful plan that it presented it to representatives of the nation’s largest veterans organizations at the White House yesterday. The groups had co-signed a letter to the Administration earlier this month protesting the idea. So the president invited them to a meeting to tell them, “I won.” The commander of the American Legion, David Rehbein, left the meeting visibly angered by what he heard inside.
“It became apparent during our discussion today that the President intends to move forward with this unreasonable plan. 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.
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!
I got the distinct impression that the only hope of this plan not being enacted,” said Commander Rehbein, “is for an alternative plan to be developed that would generate the desired $540-million in revenue.”
Before this Administration, it was inconceivable that an American government would even consider forcing wounded veterans to contribute to the cost of their treatment, let alone stand behind the idea. That this scheme could make it into an official budget proposal shows that the Obama Administration knows no bounds of honor and decency.
If he can make this happen it will force insurers to push for nationaliztion.
And at some point the left will deride the treatment vets are getting and use it as an excutse to takeover.
To even suggest this .. tells every GI what their commander thinks of them.
March 17, 2009 Contact: Wendy Knox 202.225.6216
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE or Sam Sackett 316.262.8992
Tiahrt Calls on President to Withdraw VA Plan
Obama Administration proposal would add burdens on veterans
WASHINGTON—U.S. Congressman Todd Tiahrt (R-Goddard) today sent a letter to President Barack Obama asking him to publicly withdraw his Administration’s plan for the Veterans Administration to bill a veteran’s personal insurance company for certain healthcare costs associated with a service-related disability. The White House has proposed the plan as part of its fiscal year 2010 VA budget, but Tiahrt and veterans groups are calling the plan unacceptable and are working to defeat it.
Tiahrt wrote that the White House proposal would “add additional burdens on our veterans.” The letter goes on to say, “Providing billion dollar bailouts for corporations one week and increasing burdens for our veterans another week is not a message we should be sending our brave men and women who have served in harm’s way on behalf of our nation.”
The following is the full text of the letter:
The Honorable Barack Obama
President of the United States
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
March 17, 2009
Dear Mr. President:
It has come to my attention this week that your Administration has proposed a policy change that would require the Veterans Administration to bill a veteran’s personal insurance company for certain healthcare costs associated with a service-related disability. I am writing to voice my vehement opposition to any such proposal that shifts the burden from the VA to veterans and their insurance providers.
It is the duty and responsibility of the VA to care for the men and women who have served our country and who have sustained injuries from combat or other related military service. I believe it is entirely inappropriate to consider such a proposal, and I ask that you publicly withdraw this plan that would add additional burdens on our veterans.
Should your Administration continue advocating a plan that would cause increased hardships for veterans, I will introduce legislation and work with my colleagues in the House and Senate to defeat any such proposal.
Within the last few weeks you have signed into law a massive spending increase for federal government programs – the largest annual discretionary spending increase since the Carter Administration – and you have supported sending hundreds of billions of borrowed taxpayer dollars to failing corporations.
Providing billion dollar bailouts for corporations one week and increasing burdens for our veterans another week is not a message we should be sending our brave men and women who have served in harm’s way on behalf of our nation.
Thank you for your quick and responsive attention to this important issue on behalf of our nation’s veterans. I look forward to your reply.
Best regards,
Todd Tiahrt
Member of Congress
We need a wheelchair bound demostration on Pennsylvania Ave.
He is picking on the wrong crew trying to squeeze Vets.
We know which end is the muzzle.
Liberals are traitors to America its military and its veterans.
Obama is a digrace to the human race. He is unAmerican and NOT my President.
God help the fools who fell under his spell.
But may God HELP always those who live and are prepared to die for all of us. Obama included.
In God We Trust, not some pointless empty suit
ven Rush couldn’t have stated that any better!!
“A final decision hasn’t been made yet,”
It doesn’t matter. Simply considering this un-American idea is disgustingly insane and as far as I am concerned, it’s traitorous.
Presumably so they'll suddenly be in favor of socialized medicine?
Idunno, I didn't read the article.
Well said.
Shinseki is, and always has been, a mouth-breather.
Universal, government paid health care for illegals and minorities but wounded veterans have to pay for their treatment? Wake me when this nightmare is over!!
If somebody will screw over war-wounded vets, how is that person going to treat you, when the chips are down?
As if the last 8 years of leftist acts were not enough... As if giving $1 Billion to HAMAS was not enough. As if giving concessions to a WMD armed Syria, Iran, North Korea were not enough.... As if talks of ‘negotiations” with AQ and the Taliban were not enough.....
Egggactly!
Cloward-Pivens stragety....
Overwhelm the system to create a demand for ‘change’!
Leftist strategy:
1. Create a crisis where none need exist
2. Propose a ‘wonderful’ solution which makes the problem worse
3. Declare that the reason the solution failed was because there is not enough (leftist) government involved
4. Nationalize problem and make a a cumbersome government fiefdom.
Hey.. It worked with AIG..
What is next - billing fallen heroes for their military funerals?
Ray Appleton on KMJ now on this. If not on your loca radio, go to website.
http://www.kmj580.com/pages/main
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