What About Our Nation's Heroes?

Is nickeling and diming our nation’s heroes truly the answer? According to President Obama’s Department of Veterans Affairs budget proposal that is exactly the answer. Even though the Department of Veterans Affairs has suffered major budget shortfalls, President Obama’s budget proposal is wrong because it will require veteran’s injured during active duty to use their private medical insurance pay for medical care required for their service-related injuries.

As of right now, medical ailments related to military service are covered completely by the Department of Veteran’s Affairs and non-military related ailments are sent onto the veteran’s private health insurance companies. President Obama’s Department of Veteran’s Affairs budget proposal would require bills related to any medical ailment, be it military related or not, be sent to the veteran’s private insurance company for billing. If this bill is passed, it could severely affect a veteran with service-related injuries ability to obtain private medical insurance.

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U.S. Depeartment of Veteran Affairs Medical Center...

Commander David K. Rehbein of The American Legion stated 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!” (Administrator, 2009)President Obama’s proposed VA budget could cause serious problems for veterans and their families when it comes to getting medical care and insurance to help cover those expenses.

Depending on the involved medical conditions and the severity, medical care for service-related injuries could reach the...