What about Veterans' Healthcare?
Douglas Karr, Petty Officer Second Class, United States Navy Veteran
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With the country in a frenzy about what might happen to the healthcare industry, changes to veterans haven’t been discussed too much. It appears that current veterans may have some protection and additional options under the proposed bill. As for future Veterans, the jury is still out.
In the proposed bill, 102 (a)(1)(A), “Protecting The Choice to Keep Current Insurance” has been confirmed to cover Veterans who utilize VHA benefits. Veterans need not change their benefits under this bill.
What is interesting is, along with the largest VA budget in 30 years, there has been some progress for Veterans. Along with the healthcare proposal, the budget:
- Sets aside $25 billion over 5 years for diagnosis and treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury.
- Includes opening more Veteran Administration clinics in Rural Areas
- Hiring additional claims adjustors to catch up on disability claims.
- An aggressive “outreach” effort to educate Veterans on benefits.
- Advanced funding to end budget delays that have been requiring the VA to operate facilities short-handed.
- Implementation of the Post-9/11 GI Bill
While this is great news for Veterans, opponents are still concerned at how the American people are going to be able to foot the bill. We all know that coming up short usually impacts Veterans first.
One amendment that was refused was a third amendment proposed by Rep. Buyer to ensure veterans in the VA healthcare system would not be subject to a tax for uninsured or underinsured individuals. Hmm, that doesn’t sound good.
The future isn’t as clear for those in uniform now. It appears that the protections under the current bill only apply to current Veterans – but there are no details on the table for future Veterans. In my humble opinion, I’m guessing they’ll fall into the general healthcare coverage.
The good news is that Veterans’ groups are staying on top of lawmakers, including:
-Disabled American Veterans http://www.dav.org/news/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=167
- Veterans of Foreign Wars stated they “will continue to work closely with Congress to ensure that neither VA nor TRICARE are adversely affected under the national health care reform proposal.” (Washington Weekly http://www.vfw.org/washingtonweekly/2009/ww08072009.pdf)
- American Legion http://ourvoice.legion.org/story/2111/obama-agrees-exempt-va-health-care-plan
In a recent news release, the American Legion states: “President Obama, meeting privately with the leader of the nation's largest veterans service organization this morning, pledged to keep the medical care system administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs essentially as is - quelling fears that VA healthcare would be absorbed into a national health care system.
What do YOU think about the current healthcare debacle? Let us know on Twitter @veteransblog.