How about some health care to go along with the parades?
There are 1.3 million veterans in the United States who are uninsured. At least 40 percent of them would be covered by Medicaid, if Medicaid were expanded under the Affordable Care Act in all 50 states. But more than half them live in states where Republican governors have refused to accept the Medicaid expansion. That's according to a
new report from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
While some veterans get care from the Veterans Administration medical system, that care is prioritized among vets based on service-related disabilities, income and other factors. Many veterans live in areas where VA care isn't available and many have families and spouses who aren't eligible for coverage.
"Many people assume all veterans have access to health coverage through the Department of Veterans Affairs, but that’s not the case," said Andy Hyman of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which released the report.
"Expanding Medicaid will go a long way toward ensuring that those who put their lives on the line for our country have access to the healthcare they need and deserve," Hyman said.
Republican governors shouldn't have to be
bribed by the administration into expanding Medicaid. They should be
shamed into doing it because they're standing in the way of tens of thousands of veterans getting health care.