http://www.vfw.org/index.cfm?fa=news.newsDtl&did=5415
NATIONAL HEALTHCARE BILL BETRAYS VETERANS
VFW urges ‘no’ vote on H.R. 4872
WASHINGTON (March 21, 2010) —
The national commander of the nation’s oldest and largest
combat veterans’ organization is furious that Congress is
moving ahead with a flawed healthcare bill that does not
protect the health programs provided to veterans, service
members or their families.
“The president and the Democratic leadership are betraying
America's veterans,” said Thomas J. Tradewell Sr., a
combat-wounded Vietnam veteran from Sussex, Wis., who leads
the 2.1 million-member Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S.
and its Auxiliaries.
“And what makes matters worse is the leadership and the
president knows the bill is flawed, yet they are pushing for
passage today like it’s a do-or-die situation. This nation
deserves the best from their elected officials, and the rush
to pass legislation of this magnitude is not it.”
At issue is H.R. 4872 does not fully protect the healthcare
programs provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs and
the military’s Tricare system. Specifically, the bill
covers Tricare For Life but not the other Tricare programs
that serve millions of beneficiaries; it does not cover
children suffering from spina bifida as a result of a
parent’s exposure to Agent Orange; and it does not cover
dependents, widows and orphans who are served by CHAMPVA,
the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of
Veterans Affairs.
“The president was very clear at our VFW national convention
last year when he said he was going to protect these
programs, as did the Democratic leadership in the House and
Senate repeatedly throughout the year. Now we have this
flawed package that everyone is trying to rush through that
blatantly omits any protections of the healthcare programs
our nation provides to millions of veterans, military
personnel, military retirees, and their families or
survivors.
“This is Washington doubletalk at its very worse, and the
uproar is going to be huge in America’s military and
veterans’ communities,” said Tradewell, who wants Congress
to vote against H.R. 4872 today.
The issue surfaced publicly Friday when House Armed Service
Committee Chairman Ike Skelton (D-Mo.) introduced
legislation to explicitly protect Tricare and other Defense
Department nonappropriated fund health plans from any health
reforms currently under consideration by Congress.
Yesterday, Reps. Steve Buyer (R-Ind.) and Buck McKeon (R-Calif.)
tried to introduce an amendment to H.R. 4872 to protect the
integrity and independence of the VA and Defense Department
healthcare systems. Buyer is the ranking member of the
House Veterans Affairs Committee and McKeon is the ranking
member of the House Armed Services Committee.
“The VFW salutes the congressmen and their supporters,” said
Tradewell, “and I hope their messages were heard loudly and
clearly throughout Congress. Healthcare is important, but
so is protecting the programs that were promised to our
nation’s veterans, military and their families,” he said.
“Those serving in Iraq and Afghanistan should not have to
worry about their dependents’ healthcare programs, but they
are today, and so are millions of military retirees,
veterans, survivors and children.
“Military service is based on the fundamental principle of
trust, and once lost, it is virtually impossible to regain,”
said Tradewell. “That is why I am urging the House to vote
‘no’ today, then go back and fix the bill with the language
proposed by Skelton, Buyer and McKeon, and then come back
and vote your conscience. Let’s not rush to pass flawed
legislation that could tremendously impact our nation’s true
heroes.”
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Contact: Joe Davis, Director of Public Affairs, VFW
Washington Office, (o) 202-608-8357,
jdavis@vfw.org
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