Obama/Emanuel/Shinseki walk back from VA insurance plan
Sources tell us that the White House called the Veteran Service Organization representatives back for a meeting at 1 PM today to announce that they’re backtracking on their proposal to force veterans into health insurance to pay for service-connected treatment. Despite the fact that the Obama/Emanuel/Shinseki team made it clear that they couldn’t be persuaded, somehow they got persuaded. I guess when their own Congress turned against them, they figured it wasn’t worth the political capital they’d have to expend.
ADDED: Here’s the press release from the American Legion;
The leader of the nation’s largest veterans organization applauded President Obama for dropping his plan to bill private insurance companies for the treatment of military veterans who have suffered service-connected disabilities and injuries.
“We are glad that President Obama listened to the strong objections raised by The American Legion and veterans everywhere about this unfair plan,” said National Commander David K Rehbein of The American Legion. “We thank the administration for its proposed increase in the VA budget and we are always available to assist by providing guidance to ensure a veterans health care system that is worthy of the heroes that use it.”
Following a meeting this afternoon with The American Legion and other veterans service organizations, the White House announced that it will no longer consider billing insurance companies or veterans for their service-connected disabilities.
“Although we disagreed with the proposal, additional revenue streams are needed by VA,” Rehbein said. “I strongly encourage Congress and the administration to allow VA to begin billing Medicare for the treatment of Medicare-eligible nonservice-connected veterans. They paid into Medicare for their entire working careers and should be able to use it in the medical system that was built specifically for them.”
With a current membership of 2.6 million wartime veterans, The American Legion was founded in 1919 on the four pillars of a strong national security, veterans affairs, Americanism, and the mentoring of youth. Legionnaires work for the betterment of their communities through more than 14,000 posts across the nation.
As I said this morning, whether it would have passed or not, it’s just one more example of the extent that the Obama Administration will go to screw veterans and the military to divert taxpayer money to use to buy votes.
Right out of the box, on Inauguration evening, on bad advice from one of his supporters, he ended a 56-year tradition of the President visiting the living Medal of Honor recipients at the ball held in their honor. Next, he ended the 18-year-old ban against the media making props of our returning casualties from war at Dover Air Force Base.
And then Obama/Emanuel/Shinseki want to fund their vote buying on the backs of wounded veterans. Is there anything left that we veterans and military service members hold more dear than the things Team Obama seem to hold in such low regard? Why are any veterans, like John Soltz, still carrying water for the Administration which seems to despise everything we stand for, the reasons we serve(d), the reasons we stay engaged.
Last August, Obama made the comment that he needed to earn the troops’ trust. It doesn’t seem that it’s particularly important to him now that the election has ended. During the campaign, he said he wanted to add 65,000 people to the ranks of the military – how is he going to accomplish that while he simultaneously takes away their benefits – the things that make them willing to risk their lives and limbs accomplishing their inherently dangerous missions? Who’ll stay, who’ll join under those conditions?
Honestly. What’s next? Are families going to get a bill for bringing their service member home in a casket?
ADDED a link from Ed Morrissey on the walk-back.
Category: Barack Obama/Joe Biden, Liberals suck, Politics, Support the troops, Usual Suspects
HOOAH!
[…] Kabuki Backpedal Theater… […]
I think we have found the way to run the Obama administration for him. The One obviously has no core from which to lead the country. We just have to raise a big enough stink and get the press & Congress against anything BO proposes, and he’ll do what the people want!
By the way, this is the essence of why the term “democrat” used to be an epithet when our country was young. Despicable. Well, at least it falls out in our favor with this guy.
Unfortunately, in 2012, too many people will ignore this because he will give a pretty speech about how he is so pro-veteran. That is how this unbelievably incompetent bozo got elected in the first place. People ignored what he had done and how he voted in the Senate, and only paid attention to what he promised and what he said.
[…] This ain’t Hell, is reporting victory: Sources tell us that the White House called the Veteran Service Organization representatives back for a meeting at 1 PM today to announce that they’re backtracking on their proposal to force veterans into health insurance to pay for service-connected treatment. Despite the fact that the Obama/Emanuel/Shinseki team made it clear that they couldn’t be persuaded, somehow they got persuaded. I guess when their own Congress turned against them, they figured it wasn’t worth the political capital they’d have to expend […]
It isn’t that Obama had a change of heart. He has made it very plane he hates the military. Remember him going to the gym (or something) instead of visiting wounded warriors in Germany? His frontal attack failed. He will now regroup and try to go around the defense.
If you listened to his campaign he said he was going to reduce the military. Right there I had no doubt about his intentions.
He said he will build a “Civilian Police Force” that is the same size as the military, and funded the same as the military. He can’t activate the National Guard. Only governors can do that. His Civilian Police Force the size of the military would be under his control.
Obama doesn’t like the term president. He wants to be called KING. For the record, I refer to our president as Obama without the word president in front of it. I think you should have to EARN the rank of president, not BUY it.
I am glad to see the Obama administration came to their senses, but that will not let them off the hook for considering the idea in the first place.
I blogged about that as soon as I read about it in breaking news (on Fox). The sonofabitch hates the military anyway, so that was just another slap in the face to vets. He backed off because he was forced to…by angry veterans groups, the VFW and American Legion in particular.
“Honestly. What’s next? Are families going to get a bill for bringing their service member home in a casket?”
On the plus side, the families could recoup some of the money by selling the picture rights to those caskets to the paparazzi like a star selling pictures of their firstborn.
Of course, those proceeds would be taxable don’t you know…
I’m told by many an officer/retired officer that they would jump off a cliff for Shinseki and that he would retired rather than be part of any movement to ‘screw’ veterans. Obama is probably the best thing to come along for the military and vets in a long time so folks, if you’re just spouting off Limbaugh style rhetoric, zip it up. Remember, Bush wanted to outdo his Dad and he USED the military for that purpose. Nothing else.
Jonn wrote: Next time read the post before you comment, junior.
Smorgasbord-you’re about as full of it and just a plain all out liar. You’re simply passing along the gutter talk. Get your head on, study the issues and stop passing garbage around.
From the American Legion 4-30-09:
“Only four times in the last two decades have Department of Veterans Affairs appropriations been adopted at the beginning of the new fiscal year,” said Rehbein. “For too long VA administrators have been told ‘the check’s in the mail’ as they waited for final congressional action on the VA budget. Advance appropriations will be a tremendous boon for the VA and, by extension, this nation’s veterans,” continued the Commander. “No longer will the VA be plagued by funding delays – delays that often lead to rationing of care, delays in service, postponements in building maintenance, hiring freezes and the like, that often compromised the quality and timeliness of veterans medical care.”
“This is a good news day for our veterans,” concluded Rehbein. “Today we must thank the president and the congressional leadership for making veterans and their families a national priority.”
From the VFW:
Washington, D.C., April 9, 2009 – The national commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. is applauding President Obama for his vision for a 21st century Department of Veterans Affairs that includes support of advanced funding legislation and a single, unified electronic medical record between the Defense Department and VA.
Glen M. Gardner Jr., a Vietnam veteran from Round Rock, Texas, said the president’s vision tracks with key VFW legislative goals to ensure that America properly cares for her servicemembers, veterans and their families.
“A nation that creates veterans has a sacred responsibility to care for those veterans,” said Gardner, who added that the VA has only started a new fiscal year with a fully funded budget once in the past 12 years.”
Just to remind the sour grapes crowd here that the majority of the military people think the CIC is doing well by them.
Jeff-another Vet…It helps to be literate when blogging,it saves a lot of confusion and embaressment on your part, ass wipe!Read what is stated,research the topic and then STFU you douche bag…and the only army that your dumb ass could have belonged to would be the Zimbabwe national gaurd !