Obama to bill combat wounded for medical care
SOURCE The American Legion
Hawaii Free Press
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 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.”
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.
President won’t budge on veteran insurance proposal (Troops pay for combat wounds)
Notice that this is part of the Obama budget plan – he thinks he’s going to get a $half-billion from this proposal to fund some of the other stuff he wants to buy. I don’t know where they get that number from.
This will jack up everyone’s insurance premiums if insurance companies are forced to accept pre-existing conditions of veterans…most of all the premiums of veterans. Democrats are famous for making veterans and the military pay!!!!
Wild Thing’s comment……..
Obama isi the enemy of the United States!!
This SOB Barack Hussein Obama is begging for a fight.
Is Obama billed for living in our whitey house? Is he billed for all the stuff he eats? Is he billed for his health care?
It doesn’t matter, he could care less what you or anyone else thinks. He is a rabid hater of the United States and all it stands for. He hates you and me , our awesome military, and anyone else he can’t own or control.
This is unconscionable
First the innocent unborn, and now our wounded vets that are willing risk their lives to defend us!!!!
Notice all government cuts from Obama does are against the military. Notice Obama is retreating from all military gains from Iraq to kissing Syria’s ass to not calling the enemy ‘enemy combatants’.
He will make Carter look like George Washington at this rate! Well you know what I mean!
Mark Levin is right. There is no other reason for this other than sick liberal minds trying to sabotage the system intentionally in order to use our warriors in the military who defend our freedoms as a tool to advance a socialized universal healthcare agenda.
Any man who would not respect the sacrifice of our servicemen does not deserve to sit in the Oval Office. This will not stand. God will not allow it.
This is why the Republican Party is in trouble. Obama has served them an issue on a silver platter and we get the sound of deafening silence. They are total Wimps.
Yes, Osama Obama’s health care reform. Fund abortions overseas and cut benefits for our veteran’s. He is an evil POS that should be removed. Yet this political leech on society like his fellow federal elected politicians gets the best of health care. I will do an excerpt and link back. All of us with a blog should get this message out
Bob A.
The veterans have paid enough, with their own blood, sweat, bones, limbs. They paid the ultimate price–no, they should NOT be charged for care. They deserve to be pampered and treated with respect and dignity. As Robin Williams put in Bicentennial Man, “I only want to be recognized for who I am, no more, no less.” These great warriors did a job no one else wanted to do so we could have the freedoms we do today. For some, charging them for healthcare would be financially disastrous. Obama needs to grow up!
To say that I am po’d by this is to say the very very least. But not at all surprised. He has never been a fan of the military unless he could use them for a photo op or a political tool. Besides, they scare him, I swear. They are everything he is not. They’re righteous; he’s a Chicago thug with delusions of grandeur.
Remember, our military just bombs villages and kills innocent civilians.
And he wants his civilian corps to be as big and strong as the military. Now, I wonder why that would be? hmmmmm….
And he’s no fan of the 2nd amendment. And who are probably the biggest fans of the 2nd amendment?
Maybe the military?
There are alot of military lovin’ supporters out here now and it isn’t like the Vietnam War. We aren’t going to let some putz who has no clue about anything military screw our Vets again.
This is a plot to destroy the US military and allow the UN to ‘negotiate peace’ through out the world. Who would sign up for service under these conditions? Lacking recruits they will impose a draft, further scaring the piss out of liberal voters.
Here we go again. May be time for another Veteran’s March on D.C. My eight years of Army Reserve techically means I’m not a Veteran but I’ll carry my Dad’s medals and march with the real Vets.
from a search on “veterans march on Washington” I copied this:
In June 1932 a small band of World War One Veterans calling themselves the Bonus Expeditionary Force or BEF started gathering in Washington to protest Congress’ delay in the payment of their War Bonds they were promised. By mid August their numbers had grown to between 15,000 and 24,00 depending on the source as more and more Veterans and their families gathered in Washington demanding that they be paid.
On August 28.1932 President Hoover ordered General Douglas Macarthur to evict the Veterans. Macarthur ordered then Majors George Patton and Dwight Eisenhower to mobilize the Federal troops out of Fort Myers, Virginia.
At 4:00 that afternoon Major Patton ordered the Calvary to charge the unarmed veterans and their families. Killing and wounding many of the marchers as well as a few by standers, one of whom was a United States Senator. As the day progressed into night the Army attacked the Veterans main encampment with small arms, bayonets, machineguns and tanks. In all it is reported that some 1,600 people, mostly woman and children were killed in the daylong struggle. Nobody knows for sure the exact number as there were those who had escapped the city during the fighting and who died of their injuries while on the roads heading back to their homes.
…
The fact remains that America’s Veterans are the only group of American citizens ever gunned down and killed by Federal Troops for marching on Washington, D.C.. The KK held rallies in Washington where they would wear their hoods and ride their horses through the city. The Black Americans camped out in Washington for months in the 60s demanding their Civil Rights. Every other minority has held demonstrations or protests in Washington without anyone being gunned down by Federal Troops including the Anti War Protesters protesting World War I, World War II, the War in Korea and the War in Vietnam. Only America’s pride, her Veterans, have been gunned down for demanding that which they were promised by the Congress of the United States.
Where’s the change? Can you imagine Ronald Reagan giving those orders? Up the Irish!
Ah, Time to Stick it to the Veterans again. BOHICA I guess, Glad to know this is what I might be fighting for. The thing he doesn’t realize is that We Are NOT conscripts We’re NOT the damn russian or chinese army. And he still wants to overturn don’t ask don’t tell and if the law of unintended consequences didn’t apply to anything else it would apply to that.
Oh hell, it’s St. Patrick’s Day. Maybe I can get by with more today. For 25 years I’ve been on the wagon and all the Irish lovers shown on Denver TV this morning drinking green beer really looked great. Wish I could join them but lacking a liver donor I can’t. Hah!
In regards to the 1600 veterans and others killed by the U.S. Army in 1932. Last week I stood at the Wounded Knee Cemetery and strung a tobacco offering on the fence to the spirits of the women and children killed in 1890 by U.S. soldiers firing Hotchkiss guns. Having worked 34 years for the Army and having supervised the manufacture of more ammunition and rockets than anybody I knew, I make Proxy Amends to groups that my groups harmed. This practice ensures that I don’t try to drink again, even on St. Pat’s Day. Thus, I have been to the Pine Ridge Reservation many times and done small things for various Lakotah’s. Part of it is because most of the alcohol I ever drank was paid for through Army funds with taxpayer’s money.
Now I realize that I could have just gone to D.C., where I drank a ton of booze, and made amends to the the Veterans that Patton and Eisenhower, two of my previous heroes, shot down in cold blood. Maybe that’s why God has let me live this long–to realize the truth and do something.
It is not new that the civilian government often misuses the troops. The Oath Keepers are trying to turn that around. If it’s not too controversial for you I’d be interested in knowing what some of the staunch commenters on this blog, whom my father would enjoy reading, think of them.
Horace Smith, Pvt. E-1, USAR (1956-1964)
http://oath-keepers.blogspot.com/2009/03/oath-keepers-declaration-of-orders-we.html
“Every American will have the same medical care I have”, President Elect Barack Obama. Unless you are a veteran and/or taxpayer. Actually the statement was one of the most blatant lies in political history.
Obama is a pure Marxist asshole who is going to destroy everything holy and traditional in America. He will reward the undeserving and break the back of America as he molds us into a multicultural socialist paradise. Piss on Obama. I bet the Palestinian refugees he is bringing into America will have taxpayer health care.
I don’t know where these veterans will get their private insurance. When I was in service, insurance companies would not sell to servicemen. We were a poor risk because of our odds of injury or death. This was during Vietnam. I don’t know if insurance companies will sell insurance to troops today or not. If they do I would hate to think what the premiums and limits would be. Especially if a man was a helicopter pilot or Special Forces or bomb disposal, etc.
Once again the asshole who sits in the oval office @ 1600 Pennsylvania has proved what a traitorus son of a bitch that he is. He needs to be removed from office ASAP, tried and convicted of treason followed by a one way trip to the guillotine.
Bob A., “Osama Obama”, is exaclty what he is, he is doing his dictator thing and it is against our military.
Thank you Bob, I agree I hope a lot of blogs post about this.
This is not main stream news. Main stream news is the $165,000,000 for CEO’s at AIG. But you see this is nothing but a smoke screen for the bigger issue.
The democrats bailed out AIG for a couple of reasons. First to cover theri own asses, and two AIG who was insuring Fannie and Freddie, sold bad mortgages to Europe, now Europe wants their money back. To the tune of 65,000,000,000, thats Billion. This little note is being NOT reported too.
The health care for wounded veterans use to be a given, now obama is sticking it to the Military again.
So for these brave men and women you are no longer serving the United States of America, You are doing it gratis for Uncle Joe-bama. You get hurt thats your problem.
This is another little bit of news the MSM is not reporting. I know this much there will be fewer and fewer RE-enlistments.
Part 2 of the Joe-bama plan destroy the Military. He is off to a good start.
Lynn, he sure does, I am so angry and upset about this. I hope the media or at least Fox will take this on, right now they are only talking about AIG all day.
Yankeemom, good point, I think he is afraid of them too. I am going to use that from now on that he is afraid of our military. Thank you.
Odin, it sure looks like it. Thank you for your input.
“This is a plot to destroy the US military and allow the UN to ‘negotiate peace’ through out the world.”
Horace, I would love to see another Veteran’s March on D.C.. Great idea. I love your comment and your sharing, thank you so much Horace.
That website is so wonderful!!!
Tom,your absolutely right, Obama sure is i a total LIAR! I am furious this is horrible beyond words.
JohnE PFC U.S. Army, I feel so deeply upset about this, what he is wanting to do to our warriors, our military and our Veterans. I also feel so helpless and wish I could make it all be ok.
cuchieddie-25th ID Vet, I agree, he is a traitor. He would not be able to sit in his freakin chair and feel safe if it was not for our military.
I hope everyone in America will hear about this and what the freak military hater coward wants to do.
Mark, you are soooo right.
“This is not main stream news. Main stream news is the $165,000,000 for CEO’s at AIG. But you see this is nothing but a smoke screen for the bigger issue.”
Smoke screen is so right, that is exactly what is going on. I could give a rats ass about the AIG money, and that is all I have heard about all day.
Obama is like a magician I mean what they do, he is like that. He does damage with one hand and the media goes beserk, but….BUT with the other hand if is doing the most insane, horrible most vile evil damage and no one is noticing.
Slight of hand, slight of pulling the wool over the citizens.
WT, you are right he is a magician. People call it slight of hand, that really is a misnomer. A magician’s skill is not so much slight of hand, although hand slights are important, but mainly, its ‘Misdirection’ while pointing to the obvious the other hand is doing something that is right out in the open.
That’s what this group of crooks is pulling off. So we won’t look at the obvious, AIG bailing out Fannie mae and Freddy because the democrats corrupted, banking system, we are suppose to look at the Bonus money, by greedy bankers, this was already in the contract and Congress knew about this way ahead of time and approved it. This misdirection, which is 1/10 of 1 % of total money they were loaned had to be paid for the bad loans, AIG had sold to banks in Europe.
unbelievable, such crooks, liars cheats are telling us how we must conserve and sacrifice when they are lying through their false teeth.