The Veterans’ Health-Care Crunch

[babylonsister]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17348628/site/newsweek/

The Veterans’ Health-Care Crunch
Sen. Patty Murray speaks out on why she thinks the Bush budget shortchanges VA health care—and what Democrats in Congress should do about it.

Web-exclusive interview
By Eve Conant

Newsweek
Updated: 2:04 p.m. CT Feb 26, 2007

Feb. 26, 2007 - Democratic Sen. Patty Murray of Washington has been a longtime advocate of veterans’ rights. The daughter of a disabled World War II veteran, Murray serves on the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee and is the author of the law that ensures that all veterans have the right to military funeral honors. She has been honored for her work by groups like the Vietnam Veterans of America, American Ex-POW’s, the Veterans of Foreign Wars and others. She is also one of the leading voices in the Democratic Party speaking out against the Bush administration’s proposed budget for veterans’ health care—arguing that it fails to address the rapidly rising costs. The Department of VA predicts it will need to treat 5.8 million patients next year, including 263,000 Iraq and Afghanistan vets returning with serious injuries requiring expensive care. Murray and her Democratic colleagues believe the Bush budget will force new costs—such as increased prescription copayments and new enrollment fees—onto veterans themselves. Murray spoke with NEWSWEEK’s Eve Conant about the problem, and how to solve it. Excerpts:
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NEWSWEEK: Earlier this month, you grilled Veterans’ Affairs Secretary James Nicholson about President Bush’s proposed veterans’ budget for 2008. Is the VA pushing for enough money?
Patty Murray: No. What I have seen over the last four years since the Iraq war began is an underestimation, on the part of the VA, of the number of soldiers that will be going into the VA system—from the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan and also from Vietnam. We have an aging population of Vietnam veterans who are having health problems for the first time and coming into the VA. They never looked at that and said, ‘Oh, because of the age of this population we’re going to have an increased number, and therefore we should ask for additional dollars.’ In addition, health-care inflation for everyone is going up by the double digits. You would expect that if you provided health care for people that you would take inflation into account, but I don’t believe the VA has realistically looked at that either.

How many vets does the VA project will be going into the system this coming year? And how far away is that from what you believe the real numbers are?
The VA, last year, was underprojecting how many men and women would come into the VA system from Iraq and Afghanistan. They expected 45,000 and ended up with over 100,000. Now they are projecting 263,000 Iraq and Afghan vets next year. But we’re hearing from independent sources that the figure will be over 300,000. Without being a budget or numbers guru, you can realize that 1.5 million men and women have served in Iraq and Afghanistan and are coming home with everything from minor injuries to cases of TBI , lost arms and limbs, and PTSD . You know the number is going to be high. But they seem to want us to believe that the number is going to be lower. Which means we don’t fund VA adequately.

But wouldn’t the leaders of an organization want that organization to get more money, not less?
I’ve worked with the VA for a very long time and up until this point we have had the VA be very honest in their assessment of what is going to be needed, because they are the ones that turn around and serve the veterans. But I have found that over past four years, for the first time, we have a VA that is just toeing the line on the numbers. I believe that the administration, from Day One with this war, didn’t want the American public to recognize the cost of war. They knew that it would generate a negative impact of their moving forward on it. So they have low-balled everything from how long the war was going to to how much it was going to cost. They never told the American public that we will have thousands and thousands of men and women coming home who will have PTSD, who’ve lost legs and arms, who have long-term disabilities and we’re going to have to pay for this, it’s going to cost something. It’s symptomatic of an administration that has failed to tell the American public the cost of this war. What happens then is that the VA doesn’t have the money it needs. Then these men and women come home and are in long waiting lines, can’t get appointments, and don’t get the health care they need.

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[Monkeyman]

1. K&R

[merh]

2. check out my post here

Is it worth forwarding to Vet advocates, to question why the give away of so many millions when they are needed for our returning troops?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=307816&mesg_id=308370

[babylonsister]

3. Wow. I posted over there. I wonder if Senator Patty Murray and the

vets' advocates are aware of this? That deserves its own thread. Criminal.

[merh]

4. It is criminal - that property is prime, developers would pay top

dollar for it and it is 94 acres and we are a casino town - just imagine getting local and private that allows the resort to include casinos? The lease of the land and the profit sharing could to to funding hospitals and staff, plus the developers and not the VA could be required to pick up the tab. When you look at the Gulfport Business council, if you look closely you will find the US Chamber of Commerce tenacles.

Please pass it on to any and all vet advocates you know.

[Monkeyman]

5. look at Lakeside VA in Chicago

Close to the lake worth billions sold for 100,000.00 to a land shark. VA Hospital Hines 1.00 for land worth billions sold to hospital next door

[merh]

6. This is just so very wrong

how the hell do we stop this? How? :grr:

[vickitulsa]

7. Not since WWII have our veterans been given anything close to adequate

medical care and other benefits they were promised.

Korean vets are the "forgotten." Vietnam vets have been shafted so completely by the VA system it makes me sick -- and I know a lot about this group and their issues. I've helped a fair number of them fight the paperwork and bureaucratic morass of the VA just to get what's due them.

Since military service tends to "run in families," I have also become familiar with similar problems faced by the Gulf War vets, more recent Afghanistan and Iraqi vets, and in fact all others who have served and sacrificed.

Almost without exception, they have ALL been given the shaft by our government -- and this is a disgrace that must be corrected!

Recruiters promise these young people that they will be "guaranteed" to have "top rate healthcare free for life," among the many lies they tell to get 'em to sign on the dotted line. Most recruits believe it, even some of those who've seen their fathers or uncles or cousins before them being deprived of healthcare or given very substandard care (and even then only when they fight tooth and nail for it).

What the VA knows well is that so many veterans are in no emotional condition to fight for years to get the healthcare and other benefits they were guaranteed. PTSD takes a very high toll, and by its nature renders its victims very wary of getting into confrontations that bring their rage to the surface -- even as it deprives them of the ability to remain focussed as they fight for years and fill out reams of paperwork and submit to terrible inquisition-like examinations repeatedly.

The VA seems to be geared to one thing: DENYING any and all veterans any benefits and all healthcare that they aren't willing and able to fight for over a very long haul -- no matter how badly they need this help.

Repukes and anyone else who blathers on about "supporting the troops" while they stand by for cuts and betrayal of our veterans make me sick -- and very, VERY angry!!