American Legion Outraged at Obama Plan to Make Wounded Vets Use Private Insurance
Posted on March 17, 2009
I thought President Barack Obama wanted universal health care for everyone! Well, I guess there are exceptions. Some people have to pay for all of it, and I guess Obama thinks the wounded Vet should be the one. But haven’t they already paid enough?
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!”
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 Eric Shinseki 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.”
If the country needs more revenue streams, it should find some other way to find them than the backs of our wounded veterans. They’ve sacrificed enough. Shame on the Obama administration for attempting to weasel out of our commitment.
And, oh, who thinks Shinseki will resign in protest over this? Yeah, me neither.
Its really a simple matter of who votes what. The military is notoriously filled with those awful, horrible people who tend not to vote socialist and have the nerve to earn an honest living while contributing to society.
Why should they get anything?
If Obama is stupid enough to go through with this, I eagerly await the well deserved a$$ kicking it will get in Congress.
One last thought…Hey John McCain, do you still think Obama is a ‘decent person’?
Did You Really Think He Wouldn’t Screw Our Veterans? Please. Obama has never shown an iota of respect for the military, not once. What better then to allow the federal government to renege on it’s obligation to those who fought for our (and others) freedom. Liberal feel good programs like taxing smokers 1000% for “underprivileged” children’s health care are okay, but when it comes to forking out that chunk of change to the “warmongering military”, well, Obama isn’t going to go for it. I suggest that this is only the beginning of the outrages we’ll see towards our military during the Obama reign.
Apparently, Obama doesn’t want the government to practice what it preaches. Shouldn’t the government, who sends our troops into harm’s way, be held to the same standard as private employers? If members of the US military were big Democratic party supporters it’s doubtful Obama would have made such a proposal.
This is a slap in the face to the men and women who serve our nation. Covering deadbeats on the backs of American veterans is certainly not “change we can believe in!”
As I said last week, this may just be the absolute worst decision he can make. This is an utter and complete betrayal of our wounded heroes.
They would trade our integrity and our promise to the Nation’s military for $540 million in revenue.
Remember when the left was outraged about Bush not funding veterans care adequately? Remember when they hung the Walter Reed scandal around his neck? Where’s that outrage now?
What is perhaps the most odious part of all of this is the fact that even as Obama tries to cut costs by stiffing veterans he’s spending billions on bailouts to corporate executives and mortgage payoffs to irresponsible citizens.
Hope and change!
I expect the House and Senate will overwhelming reject this idea because it’s out and out sick and disgusting; however, the American people, especially those who voted for Obama with the belief he supports and respects those who serve in the military, need to know how little regard or respect he actually has for the military.
» Filed Under Anti-Americanism, Barack Obama, Healthcare, News, Politics As Usual, Presidential Gaffes/Blunders, Stupidity, Veterans, liberalism, military
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7 Responses to “American Legion Outraged at Obama Plan to Make Wounded Vets Use Private Insurance”
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$900 million for the Hamas terrorists, free health care for every illegal alien in the country thanks to the BullSCHIP expansion, but not one cent for troops wounded in combat.
Please, someone justify that.
The money he wishes to butcher off the backs of veterans is covered by those dollars going to Hamas – nearly doubly so.
If we’re in such a “crisis,” why are we sending such a huge sum OUTSIDE the country? Would that money not be better served to help out Americans struggling to keep a roof over their heads and food in their mouths?
It’s totally a no-brainer, but I guess that is what we should expect from a no-brainer, eh?
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again – To paraphrase Red Forman, “You know what they say about Obama? He’s stupid.”
This is truly disgusting. Obama once again proves what an unlikable, incompetent sack of crap he is. He’s hosing people who have done more for this country than that mental midget could ever hope to.
Hopefully, our military will remember all of this when the time comes to fire on Decent Citizens or ACORN. There is no overlap, by the way.
Actually this puts the burden on the veterans private insurance company and not the veteran and the insurance company would face bad PR if they passed it on to the vets and not others they also service. This move sounds conservative as it takes from the government and puts into the private sector is what conservatives claim they want to do.
Do you think liberals will go for it even if Obama decides to support it?
I have kidney disease and after 30 months Medicare becomes my primary provider according to law even though I have a private insurance company so I really do not think there is the political will to do this.
Obama may be using this threatened action as leverage to get insurance companies to fall in behind his health care plan and we are being handed the counter attack through or by the American Legion or individuals within that organization acting on their own.
HOW DOE”S AIG,S BONOUS TO EXEC”S SOUND NOW? SURE MAKES YOU WONDER WHO THE ENEMY IS , YOU SCREW UP A COMPANY GET TAX PAYER DOLLARS , TO BAIL YOU OUT AND WHAT DO YOU GET’ A MILLION DOLLARS , AND A VET GETS THE SCARS OF WARS AND HAS TO FIGHT FOR A LIMB. GOD BLESS OUR CORPERATE AMERICA.