Obama Loves the Military Sooo Much..........
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The American Legion Strongly Opposed to President's Plan to Charge Wounded Heroes for Treatment
WASHINGTON, March 16 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- 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 treatmentDepartment 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!"
Commander Rehbein was among a group of senior officials from veterans service organizations joining the President, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel, Secretary of Veterans Affairs and Steven Kosiak, the overseer of defense spending at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The group's early afternoon conversation at The White House was precipitated by a letter of protest presented to the President earlier this month. The letter, co-signed by Commander Rehbein and the heads of ten colleague organizations, read, in part, " There is simply no logical explanation for billing a veteran's personal insurance for care that the VA has a responsibility to provide. While we understand the fiscal difficulties this country faces right now, placing the burden of those fiscal problems on the men and women who have already sacrificed a great deal for this country is unconscionable."
Commander Rehbein reiterated points made last week in testimony to both House and Senate Veterans' Affairs Committees. It was stated then that The American Legion believes that the reimbursement plan would be inconsistent with the mandate that VA treat service-connected injuries and disabilities given that the United States government sends members of the armed forces into harm's way, and not private insurance companies. The proposed requirement for these companies to reimburse the VA would not only be unfair, says the Legion, but would have an adverse impact on service-connected disabled veterans and their families. The Legion argues that, depending on the severity of the medical conditions involved, maximum insurance coverage limits could be reached through treatment of the veteran's condition alone. That would leave the rest of the family without health care benefits. The Legion also points out that many health insurance companies require deductibles to be paid before any benefits are covered. Additionally, the Legion is concerned that private insurance premiums would be elevated to cover service-connected disabled veterans and their families, especially if the veterans are self-employed or employed in small businesses unable to negotiate more favorable across-the-board insurance policy pricing. The American Legion also believes that some employers, especially small businesses, would be reluctant to hire veterans with service-connected disabilities due to the negative impact their employment might have on obtaining and financing company health care benefits.
"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. The American Legion has long advocated for Medicare reimbursement to VA for the treatment of veterans. This, we believe, would more easily meet the President's financial goal. We will present that idea in an anticipated conference call with White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel in the near future.
"I only hope the administration will really listen to us then. This matter has far more serious ramifications than the President is imagining," concluded the Commander.
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mz. said:
I'm not telling you how to feel. I'm just telling you how reasonable folks react.Reasonable folks get the facts straight before commenting on something they know nothing about. But once again you never let ignorance get in your way, huh?
Currently, the VA covers the full cost of medical ailments related to military service and bills third-party insurers for non-service related injuries. For example, if an injured veteran is treated for the flu, the veteran’s personal insurance is billed. If the injured veteran is treated for a service-related injury and requires hearing aids or prosthetics, for example, the VA covers the cost.
Veteran groups fear that shifting more of the cost to private insurance will do several things: 1) drive up premiums for veterans; 2) make it more difficult for injured veterans to find and retain health insurance; 3) discourage employers from hiring disabled veterans; and 4) possibly make a war injury a pre-existing condition.
Obama made an awful move here. He is trying to reduce costs by having service related injuries covered by private insurance. Uh yeah, like what INS company would agree to that? Also, why is he not going after the bloodsucking, leaches of society that bleed the rest of us on fradulant SSI and 100% disability claims? It would be easier to fix that BS.
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mz. said:
I'm not telling you how to feel. I'm just telling you how reasonable folks react.Reasonable folks get the facts straight before commenting on something they know nothing about. But once again you never let ignorance get in your way, huh?
Currently, the VA covers the full cost of medical ailments related to military service and bills third-party insurers for non-service related injuries. For example, if an injured veteran is treated for the flu, the veteran’s personal insurance is billed. If the injured veteran is treated for a service-related injury and requires hearing aids or prosthetics, for example, the VA covers the cost.
Veteran groups fear that shifting more of the cost to private insurance will do several things: 1) drive up premiums for veterans; 2) make it more difficult for injured veterans to find and retain health insurance; 3) discourage employers from hiring disabled veterans; and 4) possibly make a war injury a pre-existing condition.
Obama made an awful move here. He is trying to reduce costs by having service related injuries covered by private insurance. Uh yeah, like what INS company would agree to that? Also, why is he not going after the bloodsucking, leaches of society that bleed the rest of us on fradulant SSI and 100% disability claims? It would be easier to fix that BS.
Reasonable folks get the facts straight before commenting on something they know nothing about. But once again you never let ignorance get in your way, huh?
Thanks for popping in with facts, in that gentle way only you can.
I'm sure the blowhards who overreacted without a shred of knowledge appreciate it.
PS If you ever read an entire thread, you'd know I was talking about reasonable people not jumping to conclusions re: what Obama was doing before he even did anything about it.
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Reasonable folks get the facts straight before commenting on something they know nothing about. But once again you never let ignorance get in your way, huh?
Thanks for popping in with facts, in that gentle way only you can.
I'm sure the blowhards who overreacted without a shred of knowledge appreciate it.
PS If you ever read an entire thread, you'd know I was talking about reasonable people not jumping to conclusions re: what Obama was doing before he even did anything about it.
mz. said:
PS If you ever read an entire thread, you'd know I was talking about reasonable people not jumping to conclusions re: what Obama was doing before he even did anything about it.The proposal is for service men and women to be treated for service related injuries using their own private insurance. He is trying to save half a billion dollars in insurance claims through the VA for those men and women who hold private insurance through their employer. It is not difficult to understand why people are upset. His universal health care package needs cuts in costs. Guess he thought it would be smart to propose cutting coverage for Vets.
You have a problem with people getting upset over this proposal, even though it has not hit the floor for a vote? Is Obama that fragile that you need to block him from this criticism?
Gimme a break. He is the POTUS - when he brings up stupid shit he gets called on it. Big boy rules apply.
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The fact that he WANTS to do it is alarming in a huge way.
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I thought that part wasn't a rumor.
Hell, it's a very bad rumor about Obama, so obviously the
proper thing to do is
to consider it true. @@
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I understand the proposal.
Well, not really a proposal per se, but a rumor. That's my point.
Getting all riled up over a rumor is a waste of energy.
mz. said:
I understand the proposal.Well, not really a proposal per se, but a rumor. That's my point.
Getting all riled up over a rumor is a waste of energy.
Dude when are you going to start educating yourself on issues, and stop being such a blowhard?
The President's own Secretary of Veterans Affairs contradicts your "rumor" theory:
Last week, Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki confirmed to the House and Senate committees on veterans’ affairs that the idea to bill veterans’ private individual insurance was being considered by the administration but was not yet a formal proposal.
How would you consider it a rumor??
Unless of course you - once again - are ignorant of the facts and simply tow a party line.
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When the proposal hits the floor, it is real. Before that, it's nothing.
I'm moving on already. This is beyond boring. To be honest, it's a topic I couldn't care less about.
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When the proposal hits the floor, it is real. Before that, it's nothing.
I'm moving on already. This is beyond boring. To be honest, it's a topic I couldn't care less about.
mz. said:
When the proposal hits the floor, it is real. Before that, it's nothing.I'm moving on already. This is beyond boring. To be honest, it's a topic I couldn't care less about.
Of course you're moving on. You were called on your 'this is a rumor so we don't even know if Obama wanted it" bullshit and now you don't want to have to continue having your ignorance thrown back at you.
Too late. You're cooked again.
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When the proposal hits the floor, it is real. Before that, it's nothing.
I'm moving on already. This is beyond boring. To be honest, it's a topic I couldn't care less about.
mz. said:
When the proposal hits the floor, it is real. Before that, it's nothing.I'm moving on already. This is beyond boring. To be honest, it's a topic I couldn't care less about.
No shit. We all know how you think the military are baby killing, uneducated thugs. Loser.
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mz. said:
When the proposal hits the floor, it is real. Before that, it's nothing.I'm moving on already. This is beyond boring. To be honest, it's a topic I couldn't care less about.
No shit. We all know how you think the military are baby killing, uneducated thugs. Loser.
[/b]
No shit. We all know how you think the military are baby killing, uneducated thugs. Loser.
You are, aren't you?
PS Jeffro, this isn't about whether or not I agree with the proposal. It's that the thing doesn't even exist.
PPS How was that "vacation?"
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You can argue the merits of the idea all you want, but this is much more than a rumor:
The administration sees the plan as a way of raising more than $500 million in revenues for the Department of Veterans Affairs. However, veterans groups see it is a violation of the government's moral obligation to treat veterans injured during service to their country.
In addition, they believe it will lead to veterans and their families losing their private insurance or premiums rising because of the high costs of treating many service-related injuries.
The head of the Senate Veterans Affairs committee, Daniel Akaka, said Tuesday his committee "will not advance any such legislation."
His counterpart in the House, Bob Filner, said his
committee won't take up the proposal either. In a statement released by his office, Filner said the idea is "DOA" and said the budget "cannot be balanced on the backs (or legs, or kidneys, or hearts) of our nation's combat-wounded heroes."
The president pushed back during the meeting on Monday, telling the groups that the private insurance companies were getting a free ride. He challenged the veterans to come up with an alternative way to raise revenues.
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/...rance-proposal/
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[/b]
No shit. We all know how you think the military are baby killing, uneducated thugs. Loser.
You are, aren't you?
PS Jeffro, this isn't about whether or not I agree with the proposal. It's that the thing doesn't even exist.
PPS How was that "vacation?"
mz. said:
You are, aren't you?PS Jeffro, this isn't about whether or not I agree with the proposal. It's that the thing doesn't even exist.
PPS How was that "vacation?"
LMAO. I could care less about a ban. We know all the mod's in here are on your side. I have been in discussion with other posters via email. I realize that legacy, Dak, Chic, etc. are on your side. I could give a shit less. It's kind of laughable that you think it's a big deal. But then again you think it's a popularity contest I guess. Must be lonely having no "real friends"!
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@danamal said:
The proposal is for service men and women to be treated for service related injuries using their own private insuranceUhhhhhhh,
Having been in the service if you could give me a choice between Frank Burns or my own private doctor,thats no contest and I would be glad to have that as an option.
That's the most idiotic statement you have ever made. We aren't talking about your service in peace time, we are talking about people with injuries incurred in combat. Service Connected. I think the VA has excellent Doctors, most are staffed by University Hospital residents. Frank Burns? Good lord.
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@danamal said:
Again,given the choice I would visit my doctor and use my insurance any day over the military as I am fortunate to have kick ass healthcare coverage,and there is no such thing as a highly rated VA hospital,That would be like diehard screaming im the smartest guy here while riding the short bus.For the record, my service to this country is no better or worse than anyone elses.
My father had a hip replacement in a VA hospital. 15 years later he's jogging on it. I guess it depends where you go?
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