Beau Biden at Walter Reed
One of our readers sent us a link to Fox News‘ report that the Vice-President’s son, Beau Biden is being treated at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, the world class hospital for the troops.
Our reader asked a very good question; why is Biden being treated there? I can’t find anything that verifies that the former JAG officer and Iraq veteran is still on active duty, or if the Military is bound to give him treatment. I may be wrong about this, but, it seems to me that he should be treated by a VA hospital, or by his private insurance.
I mean, I hope that whatever his problem is can be fixed, and if I am ill, there’s no place I’d rather be treated than Walter Reed, but then, I earned my treatment at that fine medical facility. Biden, however, joined the National Guard in 2003, deployed to Iraq in 2008 and returned in 2009, according to Wiki. He returned to his job as the Delaware Attorney General which he finally left last year. I don’t see any further service or any service connected injuries from his deployment that would qualify him for treatment at a Military Treatment Facility. There are a lot of hospitals between Bethesda and Delaware.
In a day and age where this White House, the Pentagon and the Congress are complaining about the cost of treating veterans who earned their benefits to be treated at an MTF, why is the Vice President’s son being treated at the taxpayers’ expense? Clearly, he must have his own private insurance.
Like I said, I don’t wish Biden any ill, and I hope he recovers and if anyone can fix him it’s the fine doctors at the WRNMMC, but I also hope that he isn’t elbowing out any veterans or active duty troops by his presence there.
Category: Who knows
Bet you that daddy pulled a few strings for this to happen… while other vets wait to be seen by the VA
I bet you are right !!!!
It seems chicken shyt and graft run in the family!!
Jonn,
I mean, I hope that whatever his problem is can be fixed,…
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/7/7a/YouCantFixStupid.jpg/220px-YouCantFixStupid.jpg
/jes sayin’ is all.
Aah, the perks and privileges that come from being part of the right politician’s family.
I can’t answer why he is being treated at Walter Reed, but the story indicates he has a past history of stroke and the removal of a cancerous lesion, and he’s only 46 now. It sounds like he’s been sent for evaluation by specialists for some reason.
It seems to me that Johns Hopkins is closer to Delaware and it’s in the same class as Walter Reed.
True. I’m not saying his political connections aren’t a factor, but he may have gone there to access a particular specialist, possibly one that has treated him in the past.
The sins of the father are visited on the son!
Really? How would you like to answer for the sins of someone else? You’ll have everything you can do just to answer for your own.
Hmmm. My understanding is that he’s not serving on active duty and is not yet a retiree. Unless he got sick while performing AT or IDT, yeah – that does raise a few questions.
And he is almost 20 years past the cutoff date to still be covered by daddy’s obamacare policy. Oh wait, daddy is exempt from obamacare. Imagine that…
Hey Arby, Obamacare is for people that don’t have health insurance. The Vice President has health insurance through his employer.
Honestly, I’d be surprised if you told me he was at a regular facility getting the same treatment as the peon class.
First and second families recieve USSS protection and the National Medical Center is the primary Med Fac for USSS protectees.
They provide services under the Economy Act.
If he IS sick, it is none of our buisness and if he is at Walter Reed he is there becasue he is a protectee and it is covered under Economy Act (with appropriate re-imbursements to private health company).
But what do I know.
Not trying to be a smartass, but am curious – how extended a family is covered? The adult middle-aged children, too? Grandchildren? Second cousins? I’m trying to wrap my mind around a strait-laced Secret Service guy protecting Billy Carter.
Children of the VP and Pres are covered. Essentially immediate family members.
The last thing you want is the Pres or VP to be put in a situation regarding their own family members.
Protecting our leadership is a critical task …
There is also threat and risk based coverage afforded based on circumstances beyond immediate family members if required.
In 2010, he was in Christiana Hospital in Newark, Delaware.
I don’t know much about his issues!
There is probably a good reason why he there … if he is there at all!
Master Chief is correct about the immediate family being protected. My understanding is that they use the facility that is best able to cope with the added security with the minimum impact on the operations of the facility . That rule goes out the window in emergency care.
Think about this, you know that the Obama’s have needed health care, how often has it made the news?
This is more of a security issue than it is a where the VP’s son gets health care.
Today, the Secret Service is authorized by law (18 United States Code § 3056) to protect:
The president, the vice president, (or other individuals next in order of succession to the Office of the President), the president-elect and vice president-elect
The immediate families of the above individuals
Former presidents and their spouses for their lifetimes, except when the spouse remarries.
Children of former presidents until age 16
Visiting heads of foreign states or governments and their spouses traveling with them, other distinguished foreign visitors to the United States, and official representatives of the United States performing special missions abroad
Major presidential and vice presidential candidates, and their spouses within 120 days of a general presidential election. As defined in statute, the term “major presidential and vice presidential candidates” means those individuals identified as such by the Secretary of Homeland Security after consultation with an advisory committee consisting of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the minority leader of the House of Representatives, the majority and minority leaders of the Senate, and one additional member selected by the other members of the committee.
Other individuals as designated per Executive Order of the President
National Special Security Events, when designated as such by the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security
Quick search says he was hospitalized at MD Anderson in Houston a couple of years back and evaluated for a cancer in his brain. (Normally I would make a smart-ass crack about heredity but that ain’t a laughing matter.) Hope he recovers from this.
BTW, he could have caught the PDST for reviewing too many DA packages for legal approval. Highly unlikely but possible considering some of the stories we have seen here!
In his case, I doubt it. Word on the street is … He is a good egg.
But what do I know.
I’d like to remind all of you, before you get too wigged out over this, that when Reagan was shot, he was whisked away to either Bethesda Naval Hospital or Walter Reed – don’t remember which, but I think it was Bethesda.
I don’t know what the big deal is. Lovell FHCC is an active duty Navy and VA hospital/health care center. What’s the big deal?
George Washington University Medical Center .
Yep. He was taken to the nearest hospital, which was GWUMC.
As I recall, that’s why JFK was taken to Parkland as well.
What’s “Lovell FHCC”? I think the issue is that we are cynics…for good reason, IMHO.
Beau could have done Obama Care, which his father said was a “big fucking deal”…even though he didn’t have to use it. Secret Service could protect him there.
Beau probably could have gone to a VA Hospital which is, by definition, a govt facility so it should have all the security necessary and able to accommodate Secret Service protocols. And, if Sheriff Joe gave a shit, it could put pressure on the VA to fix their shit because ole Beau was going to be a patient.
Some of our buds here probably wish they could get to Walter Reed too.
But what do I know?
Lovell FHCC is James H. Lovell Federal Health Care Center. It cares for active duty personnel and vets.
It is part of the National Medical Center, where the President and other protectees receive care.
There is no issue here.
I hope the man is OK.
PS: at the time when President Reagan was there, it was called the National Naval Medical Center. The Presidential ward had been used there since the early 1900’s. The ward was just off the tower and there is a famous photo of Reagan peering out the window and waving to the press corps and well wishers.
But what do I know.
The President (any President) historically has gotten medical at Bethesda National Naval Hospital (now Walter Reed National Military Hospital). Regan was of course taken to the nearest medical treatment facility.
As far as Secret Service protection, the tax payer covering the grown children of the Pres and VP seems ridiculous.
There may be a good reason Beau isn’t enrolled in a plan through the exchange, AKA “Obamacare.” He could very well be enrolled in Tricare Reserve Select. Using TRS would have allowed his PCM to refer him to a specialist at Walter Reed. Why Walter Reed? Only speculation, but being near family during times like this makes things a little bit easier.
John Lilyea writes:
Our reader asked a very good question; why is Biden being treated there? I can’t find anything that verifies that the former JAG officer and Iraq veteran is still on active duty, or if the Military is bound to give him treatment. I may be wrong about this, but, it seems to me that he should be treated by a VA hospital, or by his private insurance.
While NNMC’s primary mission is the readiness and care of the
Uniformed Services and their families, we also provide care for authorized government officials includes President, Vice-President, their families, members of Congress, Justices of the Supreme Court, Heads of state and all beneficiaries designated by the Secretary of the Navy. In addition, we provide care to our foreign military allies and embassy personnel.
http://www.wrnmmc.capmed.mil/Documents/NNMCBaseGuide.pdf
With the approval of a deputy secretary of defense,Ukrainian Colone Hordiychuk, 42, became the beneficiary of a little-known program that the Pentagon uses to care for foreign nationals on American soil. He is now at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda recuperating from a brain infection that has affected his vision, hearing and motor skills.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/politics/bs-md-ukrainian-colonel-20150322-story.html#page=1
Mr Lilyea it took me less than 5 minutes on Google to find out these stories and more about who gets treatment at Walter Reed than as you put it”I can’t find anything that verifies that the former JAG officer and Iraq veteran is still on active duty, or if the Military is bound to give him treatment.”
I worked at the old campus of Walter Reed for a few years (1994-97). VIPs had a separate area in the hospital that had a secure entrance. Some might say a hidden entrance. It was just easier to segregate for security purposes. If a VIP required critical care, that was conducted with a security detail from the Secret Service. A designated protectee, foreign king, etc. would warrant that protocol.
MAJ Biden is still a current member of the Army National Guard and is listed in AKO if anyone is interested.
What about his brother? Just curious.
His brother was Navy Reserve, not Army. Published reports indicate he was pitched for drug use last year.
http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/16/politics/hunter-biden-discharged-from-navy/
Yeah, he got a waiver to come in because of his age and pissed hot for cocaine. If I remember correctly, he had t even gone through training before that happened, but what do you wanna bet he’ll claim to be a Veteran if he runs for office?
The larger point here, at least for me, is that anyone receiving public funds should be subject to more scrutiny that those paying their own way simply because public funds are paying for whatever. No, I don’t particularly care what medical issue this Biden might have – if we are paying for it, we certainly deserve to know how it happens that he is eligible to receive publicly funded health care. If he’s paying for it himself, can the rest of us also check in for privately funded medical care if we want to?
This just doesn’t smell right. Doesn’t matter to me who he is or who he’s related to.