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 Greetings! You are reading an article from The Mudville Gazette. To reach the front page, with all the latest news and views, click the logo above or "main" below. Thanks for stopping by! March 17, 2009 The Slow Boil BeginsBy GreyhawkThe American Legion describes some potential problems with the newly proposed Obama/Shinseki "F#$k the Veterans" program: The Legion argues that, depending on the severity of the medical conditions involved, maximum insurance coverage limits could be reached through treatment of the veteran's condition alone. That would leave the rest of the family without health care benefits. The Legion also points out that many health insurance companies require deductibles to be paid before any benefits are covered. Additionally, the Legion is concerned that private insurance premiums would be elevated to cover service-connected disabled veterans and their families, especially if the veterans are self-employed or employed in small businesses unable to negotiate more favorable across-the-board insurance policy pricing. The American Legion also believes that some employers, especially small businesses, would be reluctant to hire veterans with service-connected disabilities due to the negative impact their employment might have on obtaining and financing company health care benefits.But... "It became apparent during our discussion today that the President intends to move forward with this unreasonable plan," said Commander David K. Rehbein of The American Legion. "He says he is looking to generate $540-million by this method, but refused to hear arguments about the moral and government-avowed obligations that would be compromised by it." <...> Commander Rehbein was among a group of senior officials from veterans service organizations joining the President, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki and Steven Kosiak, the overseer of defense spending at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The group's early afternoon conversation at The White House was precipitated by a letter of protest presented to the President earlier this month.I can think of other ways Obama could raise that kind of cash - but it might be too late to use that particular tactic at this point. Among the other senior officials from veterans service organizations, Glen M. Gardner Jr, commander, Veterans of Foreign Wars: "Charging wounded and service-connected disabled veterans for their VA healthcare breaks a sacred trust that this nation has with her veterans," said Gardner, who fears that the initiative could lead to higher insurance premiums, as well as make it more difficult for veterans and their families to obtain or retain private health insurance. He said it could also discourage civilian employers from hiring disabled veterans.You can read a copy of the letter to President Obama from the heads of eleven veteran's groups here. And Paul Reickhoff, IAVA: “I was honored to meet with President Obama at the White House today. IAVA applauds the record increase in veterans’ health care funding in the President’s budget, and his focus on timely implementation of the new GI Bill. However, we are disappointed to hear that the Administration is still considering a third party billing option,” said IAVA Executive Director Paul Rieckhoff. “Veterans of all generations agree that this proposal is bad for the country and bad for veterans. If the President and the OMB want to cut costs, they can start at AIG, not the VA.”I'm the suspicious type. The contemplated move is obvious political suicide, but it seems to me there could be a move afoot to get at least some of the various veterans organizations to sign off on some other "cost saving measure" in return for dropping this bit of hari kiri. "I got the distinct impression that the only hope of this plan not being enacted," said Commander Rehbein, "is for an alternative plan to be developed that would generate the desired $540-million in revenue. The American Legion has long advocated for Medicare reimbursement to VA for the treatment of veterans. This, we believe, would more easily meet the President's financial goal. We will present that idea in an anticipated conference call with White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel in the near future.But Senator Patti Murray has already declared the 'make the vets pay' option "dead on arrival" if sent to congress. I say call the Obama/Shinseki/Emmanuel bluff. Update - clarifying remarks from David Rehbein: "President Obama made clear during our discussion that he intends to force private insurance companies to pay for the treatment of military veterans with service-connected disabilities." Posted by Greyhawk / March 17, 2009 4:54 PM | Permalink 1 TrackBackI’ve resisted, up until now, making any comment on the kerfuffle between the president and veterans groups over the former’s plan to raise $540 million for his broader health care program by forcing veterans to use their private medical i... Read More 18 Comments |
November 26, 2010America@war [Greyhawk]
I think anyone who's ever pondered the "comment" option - once only available on blogs and bulletin boards, now ubiquitous on almost any web site - will appreciate this:
The so-called faculty of writing is not so much a faculty of writing as it is a faculty of thinking. When a man says, "I have an idea but I can't express it"; that man hasn't an idea but merely a vague feeling. If a man has a feeling of that kind, and will sit down for a half an hour and persistently try to put into writing what he feels, the probabilities are at least 90 percent that he will either be able to record it, or else realize that he has no idea at all. In either case, he will do himself a benefit. That's wisdom from the past, captured for posterity at the US Naval Institute, shared via the web on the institute's 137th anniversary. From their about page:
"The Naval Institute has three core activities," among them, History and Preservation: The Naval Institute also has recently introduced Americans at War, a living history of Americans at war in their own words and from their own experiences. These 90-second vignettes convey powerful stories of inspiration, pride, and patriotism. Take a look at the collection, and you'll see it's not limited to accounts from those who served on ships at sea, members of the other branches are well-represented. I'm fortunate to have met USNI's Mary Ripley, she's responsible for the institute's oral history program (and she's the daughter of the late John Ripley, whose story is told here). She also deserves much credit for their blog. ("We're not the Navy nor any government agency. Blog and comment freely.") We met at a milblog conference - Mary knew (and I would come to realize) that milbloggers are the 21st-century version of exactly what the US Naval Institute is all about. Once that light bulb came on in my head, I mentioned a vague idea for a project to her - milblogs as the 21st century oral history that they are. "Put that in writing," she said (of course - see first paragraph above!) - and here's part of the result. Shortly after the first tent was pitched by the American military in Iraq a wire was connected to a computer therein, and the internet was available to a generation of Americans at war - many of whom had grown up online. From that point on, at any given moment, somewhere in Iraq a Soldier, Sailor, Airman or Marine was at a keyboard sharing the events of his or her day with the folks back home. While most would simply fire off an email, others took advantage of the (then) relatively new online blogging platforms to post their thoughts and experiences for the entire world to see. The milblog was born - and from that moment to this stories detailing everything from the most mundane aspects of camp life to intense combat action (often described within hours of the event) have been available on the web... And et cetera - but since you're reading this on a milblog, you probably knew that. And you know that milblogs aren't just blogs written by troops at war, that many friends, family members, and supporters likewise documented their story of America at war online in near-real time, as those stories developed. The diversity in membership of that group is broad, the one thing we all have in common is the impulse to make sense of the seemingly senseless, and communicate the tale - for each of us that impulse was strong enough to overcome whatever barriers prevent the vast majority of people from doing the same. Everyone at some point has some vague idea they believe should be shared - we were the people who, from some combination of internal and external urging, found and spent those many half hours persistently trying to write it down. But where will all that be in another 137 years? Or five or ten, for that matter. That's something I've asked myself since at least 2004 - when I wrote this:
Membership in the ghost battalion has grown in the years since, and an ever growing majority of those abandoned-but-still-standing sites are vanishing. Have you checked out Lt Smash's site lately? How about Sgt Hook's? If you're a long-time milblog reader you know the first widely-read milblog from Operation Iraq Freedom and the first widely-read milblog from Afghanistan are both gone from the web. If you're a relative newcomer to this world you may never even have heard of them - or the dozens upon dozens of others who carried forth the standard they set down. If you have a vague notion that something should be done about that, (a notion I've heard expressed more than once...) then you and I and the good folks at the US Naval Institute are in agreement. Preserving the history documented by the milbloggers is just one of the goals of the milblog project, the once-vague idea that we're now making real. And it's a big idea, if I say so myself - too big to explain in one simple blog post, so stand by for more. Likewise, it's too big a task to be accomplished by just one person. So if you're a milblogger (and exactly what is a milblogger? is a topic for much further discussion on its own) I'm asking for your help. All I'll really need is just a little bit (maybe just one or two of those half hours...) of your time, and your willingness to tell the tale. We've already made history, it's time to save it. (More to follow...) Posted 4:02 PM | Permalink |
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The Mudville Gazette is the on-line voice of an American warrior and his wife who stands by him. They prefer to see peaceful change render force of arms unnecessary. Until that day they stand fast with those who struggle for freedom, strike for reason, and pray for a better tomorrow.
 
 
 Furthermore, I will occasionally use satire or parody herein. The bottom line: it's my house. I like having visitors to my house. I hope you are entertained. I fight for your right to free speech, and am thrilled when you exercise said rights here. Comments and e-mails are welcome, but all such communication is to be assumed to be 1)the original work of any who initiate said communication and 2)the property of the Mudville Gazette, with free use granted thereto for publication in electronic or written form. If you do NOT wish to have your message posted, write "CONFIDENTIAL" in the subject line of your email. Original content copyright © 2003 - 2011 by Greyhawk. Fair, not-for-profit use of said material by others is encouraged, as long as acknowledgement and credit is given, to include the url of the original source post. Other arrangements can be made as needed. Contact: greyhawk at mudvillegazette dot com  Tending Distant Far from hearth and home, watching What tales we'll tell When things grim Some distant sunset, vision fading Saluting fallen friends whose names - Greyhawk, Baghdad, December 2004 |
You know besides the obvious slights, this would be the perfect way to dissuade people from joining the military.
"If you get hurt, you're on your own"
Sure Patty said that it would be DOA, however, as we all know, they will attach it to a piece of legislation that congress wants, or needs, so it will become the "poison pill" so to speak.
Any chance this gets in during a conference committee hearing? That seems to be the MO of Obama/Reid/Pelosi these days.
Given that Patty Murray is borderline retarded I don't know that I'd attach much weight to what she says.
(I'm not kidding, and only barely exaggerating)
Step up for veterans. Make convicts pay for their healthcare. They're scum anyway.
I'm still burning from being denied VA eligibility because I don't have a service related disability. Nothing like reneging on contracts with those who fight for freedom.
Obama is well on his way to having to issue individual written orders to service members or units. First, his base wants to prosecute those who conducted interrogations based on policy and Presidential legal opinions. Now, he wants to push the cost of any injuries onto the servicemember. Someday, he'll want the military to take action and they will ask for handwritten orders and contractual terms defining compensation for on-the-job injuries.
Questions: If you are injured on the job, who pays? If you develop an occupational disease, say from asbestos, who pays?
Do we owe less to someone subject to prosecution and possible execution who "quits his unit, organization, or place of duty with intent to avoid hazardous duty or to shirk important service" (desertion) or "willfully disobeys a lawful command of his superior commissioned officer"?
We are well past employee responsibility for employment-related injuries and diseases . Or are we going to renege on Workers Compensation acts, the Longshorman and Harbor Workers Compensation Act and the Maintenance and Cure for seamen that dates from the Middle Ages?
This is dead on arrival. The fact he just signed a very unpopular nearly 800 billion stimulus package that nobody has read, and is being rejected by several state governors. Now he wants to make servicemen pay or get another 1/2 billion out of them? Come on! What tone deaf moron is advising this guy?
Opinion polls show the US military has a higher respect among the civilian population than Congress. Congress knows this and will kill it. Obama is being made to look like an ass, and a weird kind of skinflint who is extracting dimes from vets after tossing Franklins out the window.
Seriously did Karl Rove leave behind his mind control device?
I just wonder what happened to Shinseki's backbone.
Does the name Courtney Masengale ring a bell with anyone?
Why not charge service members for the weapons they use?
If you're going to charge veterans for the cost of medical care they need after being wounded in battle, why not make them first pay for the bullets?
I mean, fair's fair, right?
Why not charge service members for the weapons they use?
If you're going to charge veterans for the cost of medical care they need after being wounded in battle, why not make them first pay for the bullets?
I mean, fair's fair, right?
This proposal is so egregious, I can’t believe it hasn’t died already. The fact that the administration continues to stick with it, in spite of the political implications, makes me wonder if it isn’t a feint for the larger move to pass the President’s plan for “health care reform.” If he causes more and more stress on the current system, the public will demand the alternative. "You never want a serious crisis go to waste." Even if you have to manufacture one.
This whole thing stinks to high heaven, and the only reason I can think of for offering such a plan is to make the bailout look popular by comparison.
It's a dog, and it's political suicide for anyone who stands behind it. The FL and VFW shouldn't consider any sort of compromise to make this thing go away. Rather, they should counterattack and press for better treatment across the board.
Don't express related costs in billion of dollars; express them in fractions of "Banker Bucks". Make explicit comparisons between the competence and success of our military versus the financial wizards, and similar comparisons between the way they've been treated by the new Congress and Administration. Hammer these clowns 'til they beg for mercy (or seek forgiveness, at least)!
When the enemy stupidly overextends itself, one doesn't compromise and allow it to keep half its gains. One cuts it off, counterattacks, and makes it pay dearly for its mistake.
I realize it's impolite to refer to Washington DC as the enemy, but I can't help feeling that way lately.
Two suggestions on funding the short fall in veterans coverage --
1) Renege on the Gaza $900bn offer. Give it to VA.
2) Start charging countries where we have bases hospitalization fee. Lop it off the top of the foerign aid we give them.
I've got news for you. They are already doing it. I have a service connected injury (not battle related) and have been treated at the VA in WRJ VT for about 5 years. I see a podiatrist every 6 months for this injury. About a year ago, they started billing (and collecting from) our family Blue Cross plan for those and any other services the VA hospital I receive. And, I have a 100% service connected disability.
I'd just like to point something out I haven't seen mentioned anywhere yet on this: to me, this looks remarkably similar, in principle, to the whole 'Alaska makes rape victims pay for their rape kits' issue that was used to slam Sarah Palin during the election campaign. Basically, it looks just like a general policy at most levels of government to avoid having to pay for constituent services when there's some other private entity that they can try to stick with the bill. Not that I think it's right, but it's just general policy now.
But if Obama's supporters were so outraged about the rape kits, they must be outraged about this too, right?
Update - clarifying remarks from David Rehbein: "President Obama made clear during our discussion that he intends to force private insurance companies to pay for the treatment of military veterans with service-connected disabilities."
Note to the economically retarded in the Obama Administration: No such capability exists on earth to force insurance companies to pay for anything. You can make them cover things, and they will turn around and adjust their premiums so that other people have to pay more.
As long as the Vet doesn't pay you say? Unless of course the Vet pays the premiums on his or her private insurance through their current employer.
Taxes or fees or unfunded mandates aren't somehow "free." Follow the money; businesses pass taxes, charges, fees and the costs of mandates on to their customers.
It seems as if only die-hard socialists don't get that concept.
I think that Greyhawk is onto something here. This proposal is so incredibly and blatantly insulting and demeaning to veterans, that there has to be some kind of purpose behind it. Taking these kind of shots at vets for no good reason would literally be insane.
He didn't completely say it, but perhaps this is going to be used in a rhetorical way in the upcoming nationalized health care debate. Something to the effect that, "Just as we owe our veterans blah, blah, blah all Americans deserve free health care, blah, blah, blah." So this is a setup for veterans, conservatives, et al to jump out of the chair screaming, "The govt. owes us this care!" To which Obama responds, "We owe it to ourselves!" ???
Just spitballing here. The other thing that perplexes is that if/when he loses the media, this issue has the potential to burn like a prairie fire engulfing him in the flames. He must have absolute confidence that the MSM will not buck up and report on this stuff, because this is just the most politically untenable policy that I can think of for a lefty douchebag to throw out there. It is straight up lefty stereotyping 101. It's Ted Rall like.