The Obama administration dropped a proposal to require some disabled veterans to pay for medical treatments through their private insurance companies, heeding a chorus of outrage from veterans groups and Capitol Hill lawmakers who said the idea was immoral, unconscionable and un-American.
That about sums it up. It’s hard to imagine how an administration that touts its plans to provide health coverage to everyone can begin by taking it away from the most deserving. But you don’t have to imagine. You can listen to what they said:
“In considering the third-party billing issue, the administration was seeking to maximize the resources available for veterans,” said White House spokesman Robert Gibbs.
Just like your employer maximizes “available resources” by paying lower wages, or your insurance company maximizes resources by denying claims.
“However, the president listened to concerns raised by the [veterans groups] that this might, under certain circumstances, affect veterans and their families’ ability to access health care.”
And it might, in all circumstances, have required them to dig deeper into their own pockets to pay for injuries suffered while serving the government.
{ 1 trackback }