I'm hoping someone will chime in and say this is all a big misunderstanding:
The Obama administration has proposed to bill veterans' private insurance companies for combat-related injuries.
But it appears the White House is standing by this plan.
Spokesman Robert Gibbs said the plan remains under consideration but the administration has not made a final decision. (Apparently, it was final enough to send up to the Hill, but not really final. I'm still trying to figure that one out)
This is a terrible idea. What other employer shifts the burden of paying for work-related injuries onto the employer? None. Every state has some sort of worker's compensation law. Some are better than others. None are as bad as what President Obama has proposed for our veterans.
The story does a fairly good job of laying out the consequences of this plan. For those who don't want to follow the link, here's a pertinent excerpt:
Veterans groups are concerned that this policy would make employers less willing to hire veterans, for fear of the price of covering them, and that insurance benefits for veterans' families would also be jeopardized.
If this is what we need to do to balance the budget, I hope we never balance the budget.