Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki confirmed Tuesday that the Obama administration is considering a controversial plan to make veterans pay for treatment of service-related injuries with private insurance, but was told by lawmakers that it would be "dead on arrival" if sent to Congress.
Apparently, we have read this correctly. Thankfully, it is not being well received by Washington Senator Patty Murray.
Washington Sen. Patty Murray used that blunt terminology, telling Shinseki that the idea would not be acceptable and would be rejected if formally proposed. She made the remarks during a Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs hearing about the 2010 budget.
Even with the knowledge that this will be a waste of time, it may be that Team O will still want to press for it.
No official proposal to create such a program has been announced publicly, but veterans groups wrote a pre-emptive letter last week to President Obama opposing the idea after hearing the plan was under consideration. The groups also noticed an increase in “third-party collections” estimated in the 2010 budget proposal—something they said could only be achieved if the VA started billing for service-related injuries.
Asked about the proposal, Shinseki said it was under "consideration."
"A final decision hasn't been made yet," he said.
If this is true, this clearly shows that the arrogance of these clowns is unsurpassed by any in our nation's history. But this is not the only point worth thinking about.
Ask any proponent of single-payer government run healthcare and you will hear them blame the insurance companies for the mess we are in right now. But as we can see from this story, they are the problem only when it's convenient for them to be so. From this story, it sounds like they have no problem billing them for care, which they are not willing to cover.
Now that they are learning the costs of what it take to care for an injured troop, they seem to think the insurance company is the answer. How hypocritical is that? Is this a red flag, or what?
If you think that single payer government run healthcare is the only answer, you may want to reconsider. If the government is having trouble covering the cost of taking care of those that have been wounded serving their country, how much more difficult do you think it will be if everyone is on the same plan?
This is something for you people (those who think healthcare is the responsibility of the government) to think about. Wait until it's your sick child getting lost in the bureaucracy of an inept system and you are told there is no money for what he/she needs done.
Wake up, people. Some of you are starting to fall for the lies being advanced by elitist politicians. They want you to believe that government is the answer to every problem we have. But as one great man used to say, government is the problem.
You can't have it both ways, so don't let your emotions override your intellect. And above all, let's not ignore the red flags anymore.
(Hat Tip for article: Voice Of Conservative America)
* For more evidence of the arrogance of your elected officials, read the latest post at Social Sense.
15 comments:
I almost wonder if Obama has a lot of Bill Clinton in him. He is a poll driven President. I am starting to wonder if these little "leaks" have a purpose. Something comes out, the public reacts, or more importantly to them, maybe doesn't react and they gauge the plausibility of public acceptance of the plan.
Case in point is the administration taking over the census.
We have had a lot of incidences in which ideas have leaked out, there is blowback, the administration then comes out and says they were never thinking about doing whatever it is.
I wonder if they are trying to get a feel for what the public will toelrate from them.
Un-friggin-believable. How about we make congress and our crap president pay for private insurance first?
I actually hope 0bama is stupid enough to push this. Please, pretty please? What an a-hole.
We all suspected he disdained our military servicepeople. Now we know for sure what he thinks of them....
Shinseki is a former Army Chief of Staff, retired as a four-star general in 2003. It is difficult to imagine that he would support such a program, particularly when the Veterans’ Administration has earned a poor reputation seeing to the needs of veterans, particularly among those wounded, injured, or debilitated in the service of their country. Shinseki must be one of those generals who think that loyalty is a one-way street.
I think Chuck has the right take on this; little litmus tests to see how much the American people will stand. If the Obama administration finds itself scraping the barrel looking for extra cash, having emptied the treasury, they might consider a massive pay cut for members of Congress, or a program that will charge members of Congress for the FREE medical care they receive at Bethesda or Walter Reed. Maybe Speaker Pelosi should start paying for the privilege of jaunting around the country in the USAF Gulfstream G-5.
That you even consider this report as possibly true shows a complete lack of understanding of the issues involved. Placing vets in the hands of private insurers would be a step backwards and away from his stated position of ensuring healthcare for all. Time you people started looking outside your own borders to see how the rest of the world handles things and quit assuming America has unique problems that require homegrown solutions. What America does have a unique amount of is unhealthy people paying steep prices to get even more unhealthy. Profits do not maximize ethics...in contrast to what some of the most vacuous economists are telling you. The "Night Watchman" theory of economics is a bad reading of "Wealth..", and has been debunkied in all the higher schools of learning except for the business schools (what a surprise!).
Now...the US Army is itself a socialized entity. Do you really want the military in private hands? Why not? Those are the reasons why non-elective medicine should be a right of all Americans.
Right now, Mr. AOW and I are trying to get private health insurance. Talk about sticker shock! We're looking at premiums which are one half to two thirds of our income!
And we've never been uninsured. It's not as if we've suddenly discovered pre-existing conditions and then decided to address them. We've been addressing them all along -- and effectively, too, with excellent medical care.
What happened to all that money we paid in over the past three decades?
Disclaimer: The above is not an endorsement for national health care!
As I think about this possibility of forcing veterans to get their own private insurance, I know that they're going to pay rape rates. Why? Because they have pre-existing conditions! Insurance companies will "rate" them when underwriting. This I know FOR A FACT from my own experience in trying to get private health insurance.
Maybe the idea will be "dead on arrival" if sent to Congress.
But maybe not.
I don't trust any of our politicians these days.
Chuck,
//I am starting to wonder if these little "leaks" have a purpose. Something comes out, the public reacts, or more importantly to them, maybe doesn't react and they gauge the plausibility of public acceptance of the plan.//
Excellent point. Even the most power-hungry and ambitious politicians use leaks from time to time, for this purpose. Many times they use them to send the media and the punditry on a wild goose chase for smokescreen purposes.
//We all suspected he disdained our military servicepeople. Now we know for sure what he thinks of them....//
It's hard to know and understand the mindset of soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen, unless you have been one of those and served your time honorably. Not impossible, but it's hard.
Mr. Obama has never served in the military. I actually am not surprised that he demonstrates a lack of gratitude and commitment to the men and women that had the guts to serve.
But along with this observation, I would submit this caveat. Just because someone did don the uniform, does not mean they are an example of honesty and integrity. Look at Murtha, Kerry, and Cunningham. In my view, I do not consider them one of my military brothers.
//they might consider a massive pay cut for members of Congress, or a program that will charge members of Congress for the FREE medical care they receive at Bethesda or Walter Reed. Maybe Speaker Pelosi should start paying for the privilege of jaunting around the country in the USAF Gulfstream G-5.//
Look Boss, de plane, de plane!!!!
Here come de plane!!!!
Yes, Tattoo it is the plane.
Welcome to Fantasy Island.
This is Chester W Mustang, his fantasy is for government to have integrity. It will start out that way, but somewhere along the way.........
Hi Mycos,
Welcome To PYY.
//That you even consider this report as possibly true shows a complete lack of understanding of the issues involved. Placing vets in the hands of private insurers would be a step backwards and away from his stated position of ensuring healthcare for all.//
I didn't report this, CNN did. I guess you are saying that CNN is out to do a hatchet job on Obama?
//Time you people started looking outside your own borders to see how the rest of the world handles things and quit assuming America has unique problems that require homegrown solutions.//
Care to enlighten us as to what we are missing? All I ever hear is how great the single payer system is. Mycos, how about you sell me? Give it your best shot.
HI AOW,
//As I think about this possibility of forcing veterans to get their own private insurance, I know that they're going to pay rape rates. Why? Because they have pre-existing conditions! Insurance companies will "rate" them when underwriting. This I know FOR A FACT from my own experience in trying to get private health insurance.//
This may be the one thing that dissuades Congress from even trying to pull something like this. As Chuck has suggested, it could be a good chance this was a finger in the wind. But I doubt it was for the people, it was to see if Congress would be open to considering this. I think it will fail (for now).
LA,
I do think that most of the idjits on Capitol Hill would cheat our military -- except that politicians come up for election every few years.
When it comes to health care reform, what I'd like to see is that all those idjit politicians, many of whom certainly have pre-existing conditions, got their health insurance revoked, thus forcing them to discover for themselves what shopping for private insurance is really like.
AOW, I am with you. Furthermore, it is my dream, my fantasy, that these politicians all return to the private sector in January 2011.
Hello LAS and All !
One must admit that here is something seriously wrong with the system when one realizes that prisoners in Federal slammers are apparently afforded top medical care while soldiers who have laid their lives on the line are nickel-and-dimed when it comes to healthcare …
This must be some kind of trial balloon … no ?!
Best,
L’Amerloque
Hi Amerloque,
//One must admit that here is something seriously wrong with the system when one realizes that prisoners in Federal slammers are apparently afforded top medical care while soldiers who have laid their lives on the line are nickel-and-dimed when it comes to healthcare …//
I am not sure that prisoners get what we would call "top of the line" medical care. But as for the financial aspect of it, you make a good point. They pay very little and even if they had private insurance, it is not billed.
In most penal systems, the objective of medical care is not to normalize people, just to prevent serious medical conditions from worsening.
Prisoners are even responsible for their own OTC drugs. Headache, tummy ache? Commissary carries most items. They may not have choices of brands, but most any ailment has a corresponding OTC drug.
I am not sure about the feds, but some states (inc. Indiana) now require a small co-pay, if the offender has money on the prison books. This includes any meds they may need. They do not charge if they are indigent and the healthcare management staff has the authority to waive it, if they deem the problem is serious enough and the offender is not abusing sick call.
The big difference I know of between prison and military medical care is the litigation. Prisoners will sue at the drop of a hat for nothing. Infected hangnail, lawsuit. If their particular medication is not on formulary, lawsuit. The sadder component to that is, some lawyer is always ready to take cases of even the most frivolous of complaints.
So where as at one time it was a free-for-all, it is now a little more manageable. Not much, but a little. But nevertheless, your point is still a good one in the larger scope of this discussion. Thanks for pointing this out.
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