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Repealing Health Care Law Would Be Anti-Veteran
On Wednesday, the Majority Leadership in the House will make good on their promise to bring up for a vote a bill that repeals the health care reform law that passed last year. Let me be clear – a vote for repeal will be a vote to deny many veterans access to affordable health insurance. That’s why my first act as the Interim Chairman of VoteVets.org was to launch this petition calling on the House to defeat the repeal.
By Ashwin Madia, Interim Chair of VoteVets.org
As an attorney, I’m lucky to have the ability to get insurance. As a veteran, however, I’ve heard terrible stories from those who fought for America, struggling to find a way to cover the costs of their medical care. Here’s just a sample of some of the stories we’ve heard at VoteVets.org this week.
“I am a self-employed Vietnam Vet with no health insurance. My wife just turned 65 so she has Medicare. We had health insurance our whole lives, but my self-employment status meant we had to get our own policy after my wife lost her job. We were ‘hoodwinked’ by a slick insurance salesman who sorely misrepresented the policy, i.e. there was no yearly deductible. It was a deductible based on ‘per consigment,’ which meant that anytime anything went wrong after 60-90 days, we had to pay another $4,000 deductible.” – Dan, Vietnam Veteran
“I was medically discharged in 2005 for injuries I sustained in the line of duty. I now have a spinal cord injury and no one will insure me. I can only leave the house assisted and live in a 3rd floor apartment with all stairs and no elevator because we cannot afford to move. I also cannot drive. My husband has to stay home to take care of me so we live on almost nothing.” – Kate, Iraq War Veteran
“I served in the Air Force from Jun 1972 through May 1975 when I was honorably discharged. I do not have health insurance coverage and have not had coverage due to being unemployed for the last two years. Additionally, my unemployment benefits are about to run out and I will be living in my car unless I can find a job that will cover my rent/bills. Though I have health concerns that I would like to talk to my doctor about, I cannot afford the consultation let alone any medications or treatments that may be required.”- Jane, Air Force Veteran
I understand that the Republican caucus has concerns about the law. Veterans have concerns too – like the concern that many who have seen Veterans Affairs care expire cannot afford health insurance; like the concern that many more coming home in a tough economy may find it difficult to find a job and/or afford insurance; and like the concern that according to a report from Harvard, an estimated 2,266 veterans died in 2008 because they had no health insurance.
It’s for those veterans that this new law means so much. To repeal it would mean that unemployed veterans – the rate of which is 8.3 percent, and 21 percent among the youngest Iraq and Afghanistan veterans – will lose the access to health care that this law will soon provide. To repeal it would mean a whole new generation of veterans will come home to struggle to make ends meet, while paying skyrocketing health insurance premiums to unchecked insurance companies.
To repeal it would be a slap in the face to David, a Navy veteran who wrote to us, “I am retired U. S. Navy. I am insured with Tri-Care. Because of the Affordable Health Care Act, my youngest daughter who is 17 will be covered another 9 years. This is huge because she has Spina Bifida and her only recourse otherwise would be Medicaid. This is the most important part of the Health Care Act, providing continued access to health care for dependents.”
Instead of wasting time with political votes meant to embarrass the President, the first act of the new Republican House should be to listen to the cares of veterans – and all working Americans – and do right by them.
Short URL: http://www.veteranstoday.com/?p=73942
Posted by Veterans Today on Jan 18 2011, With 0 Reads, Filed under Health, PTSD. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
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Why are they not getting coverage at the VA to begin with? My step dad served in Vietnam. He retired (early) from a company where he had health insurance. Went to the VA coverage and has gotten better coverage than through Blue Cross and Blue shield which he had for decades.
I agree with Rachel. I’ve been in the VA system for over 15 years, sincy my “military health records” were disseminated throughout the healthcare and I was no longer able to obtain insurance. Yes, some of my health problems are related to the military service and perhaps some aren’t. But the VA Medical side has taken good care of me.
That 2000+ page universal “healthcare” bill is a financial disaster for all, including most, if not all Vets. If anybody is interested, I could list a ream of areas in that legislative chaos that will rob Vets (and other American citizens of what little hard earned money (change) they have left in their pockets.
Don’t blame the Universal Healthcare Bill on the Republicans. Our trusty liberal Democrats have had complete control of the incompetent Administration, the incompetent majority in the Senate, and for four years (2206-2010, the incompetent majority in the Congress who passed this monstrosity without reading it, except the part where they attached their stupid “earmarks”.
Shame, shame, shame on you who want to keep this mess alive so it can kill innocent Americans as surely as the Tuscon Assassin, only a bit slower and with much more pain.
Texas Vet
2006 – 2010 instead of 2206 – 2010. It doesn’t matter. Few of those illiterate congresspeople can read or do simple arithmetic anyway.
Welcome to the Soviet Socialist States of America everybody. This post is written by a lawyer. In reading the Affordable Care Act he may have noticed:
1. Government will control every aspect of medical education.
2. With tax year 2011 all of us must report the amount of premiums we pay for health insurance to the IRS.
3. Failure to comply with governement mandates will result in government action agaisnt us (we the people).
4. Trap after trap after trap for honest everyday folks.
5. The act creates how many agencies and offices? Answer: Nobody knows!
and on and on and on for its thousands of pages.
Many people in the VA try to help Vets. Tell me, is the VA system easy to work with? I think not. The Affordable Care Act creates a nightmare maze for everyday people. I bet when any of call there future 1-800 nightmare numbers a soothing voice will tell us everything is avaialble online.
The Affordable Care Act is a move towards slavery. We the people are becoming month by month subservient to the “GOVERNMENT”. The majority of Americans did not want the Affordable Care Act. The Democratic Party mandated we take Affordable Care over the objectives of we the people. Some example of represenative governement, huh?
The national media is nothing more than an propaganda extenstion of the Demoncratic Party folks. Read the Affordable Care Act in its thousands of pages. You are lossing freedom at an alarming rate. Talking heads in the Demoncratic Party tell us how good this Affordable Care Act is for us. I like making decisions for myself. Now the governement will tell all of us wheather we live or die. You and me will no longer make our heatlh care decisions. Remember, the VA determines what health care Vets recieve. The VA determines if you will be seen by a health care provider.
I am serious about the slavery comment. We are answering to government. It is not answering to us. What’s next – speech screening before we are allowed to present a point of view?
See you in the Gulag.
Regards
Dale R. Suiter
The Affordable Care Act is an affirmative step towards the slavery of Americans. The Act in its thousands of pages mandates every aspect of health care education and services in America. We the people no longer will determine our health care needs. Those who have serverly wounded family members from our nation’s current wars know the awful obstacles faced in obtaining, keeping and using disability benefits. The VA system is very difficult to deal with. Any reasonable person must know the huge bureacracy being created will become – like the VA and entity onto itself. It will exist as any bureacracy for its benefit. We the people will be allowed to beg.
Americans did not want the Affordable Care Act. The Democratic Party ignored us and passed this step to increasing governement control of our lives anyway. The Affordable Care Act determines who lives and who dies. It is a horrible law and will make life much more difficult for Americans. Vets are not going to see any benefit from it. Read the Act folks – like I did – and make your own decisions.
Regards
Dale R. Suiter
dale
just for some insight…
I am a nurse and a veteran who has seen first hand patients who have benefitted from the Affordable Care Act.
as i probably don’t need to tell you,patients who previously fell into the donut hole for medication coverage are now able to obtain medications (which,in turn, keeps them from having heart attacks,diabetic comas,strokes etc).People with pre-existing diseases are able to remain insured despite their illness,which has especially helped my cancer,heart attack and diabetic patients.people are also able to add their chronically ill children to their insurance (diseases such as diabetes,cystic fibrosis and sickle cell disease).The Original Universal Healthcare bill(HR 676) would have been such an improvement,both morally and economically,but died due to lack of bipartisan support.
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:H.R.676:
In Texas the suffering because of lack of healthcare is obvious-highest uninsured,highest birthrate to teenagers,highest infant mortality rate,tops on several disease fronts.I volunteer with National Coalition for Homeless Veterans.My specialty is homeless female vets/female homeless vets with children.Most are Iraq/Afghanistan veterans.They feel the nation has turned their collective back on the vets.This is further evidence that they mauy be right ..