Our government has lost it's collective mind.
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki confirmed Tuesday that the Obama administration is considering a controversial plan to make veterans pay for treatment of service-related injuries with private insurance.
But the proposal would be "dead on arrival" if it's sent to Congress, Sen. Patty Murray, D-Washington, said.
Murray used that blunt terminology when she told Shinseki that the idea would not be acceptable and would be rejected if formally proposed. Her remarks came during a hearing before the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs about the 2010 budget.
No official proposal to create such a program has been announced publicly, but veterans groups wrote a pre-emptive letter last week to President Obama voicing their opposition to the idea after hearing the plan was under consideration.
http://edition.cnn.com/...
This story says it's an Obama plan, but I've heard this floated here in la la red Republican land quite a while ago. It seems the cheapskates on the right hate the idea that the government is left holding the bag for service connected injury, so they want to dump the responsibility for veteran care back on the veteran.
Got blown up in Iraq? Too bad, you can get it taken care of if you have insurance (and a job). Otherwise, you're just like everyone else and stuck blown up and unable to get treatment. Just say 'hi' to your 'grateful' nation.
This disgusts me. I can see it having a deep impact on military recruitment once everyone wakes up and realizes that the $$$ for service connected injury falls on the veterans.
I also forsee it becoming much harder for veterans to get a job, since employers would realize employing veterans who might have to fork over insurance $$$ would up their premium rates. More veterans homeless and on the streets. That makes a nice picture.
So far Congress is resisting, but will that continue?
Who's bright idea was it to float this idea?