July 31, 2009
Veterans Organizations Voice Concerns Over National Health Care Proposal; Buyer Agrees that the Complex Legislation Could Have Harmful Impact on Veterans
For more information, contact: Brian Lawrence (202) 225-3527
Washington, D.C. —Major veterans’ organizations are speaking out against a number of provisions within the proposed House version of the national health care reform plan that could adversely affect veterans and their families.
Such organizations include The American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, Disabled American Veterans, AMVETS, Paralyzed Veterans of America, the Wounded Warrior Project, Vietnam Veterans of America, Blinded Veterans Association, Jewish War Veterans of the USA, and the Military Order of the Purple Heart.
Six of the organizations sent a joint letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi stating that they have “grave concerns” about the bill and that they “would oppose this legislation because it could limit health care choices for veterans, increase the cost of health care for veterans, deny coverage to dependent family members of veterans, and threaten the quality of health care offered to veterans through the VA system.”
The American Legion wrote a letter to Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman that it “is deeply concerned with veterans’ related issues” in the proposal.
The veterans’ service organization letters are attached or they can be viewed by clicking HERE.
Steve Buyer, the Ranking Member of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, shares the organizations’ concerns that the thousand plus pages of H.R. 3200 hold provisions that could unfairly penalize veterans.
“The Democrats’ national health care reform bill is an affront to our solemn obligation to maintain the integrity and independence of our military and veterans’ health care systems,” Buyer said. “Veterans enrolled in VA health care should never be subjected to punitive taxes for failure to have ‘acceptable’ health insurance.”
“I am pleased that many veterans’ service organizations share my perspective, and that some have pledged to oppose the bill if our mutual concerns are not addressed.”
Buyer is planning on introducing several amendments to address veterans’ service organizations concerns.
For more news from House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Republicans, please go to:
http://republicans.veterans.house.gov/
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