President Obama gives VA a makeover, adds $25 billion to budget

[BirminghamExaminer]

Excerpt:

Obama explained that the new budget will increase by $25 billion over five years. The budget will expand VA health coverage benefits in order to serve an additional 500,000 veterans by 2013. The President also addressed concerns about services related to mental health and stress injuries related to war. In addition, the new budget will allow the Veterans Administration to provide help for homeless veterans.

President Obama said the administration is taking measures to cut the red tape environment, which has plagued the Veterans Administration, through the use of technology. He also vowed to upgrade the GI Bill. The budget should be completed by August 1.

Veterans service organizations (VSOs) report that part of President Obama's budget proposal includes allowing the VA to bill private insurance companies for military service connected healthcare. VSOs are unanimously against the proposal.

Many veterans have private health insurance coverage through employers and family. The 'insurance' proposal would bill the private health carriers for services rendered to veterans at VA facilities. While the proposal doesn't mean that veterans would have to pay for their service-related health care, or buy private health insurance, veterans groups have objected.

VSO representatives met with President Obama and staff from the Office of Management and Budget Monday to express their concerns about the insurance proposal. From the website, VA Watchdog, it has been reported that the "meeting was cordial." One witness said the Office of Management and Budget was "apologetic" about the controversial proposal. It appears that the proposal to bill private health insurance companies for VA services will not be in the final budget proposal on August 1.

This article is important. The Freeper type pundits are trying to say that Obama is going to make veterans pay for their health care. This is an outright lie so please read this article and pass it on.

[stillcool]

1. They always accuse others..

of what they themselves have done.

[Politicalboi]

2. Exactly

It's amazing to watch.

[BirminghamExaminer]

3. A nut job on Facebook tried to tell me Obama was making vets

pay for their own health care. This is the same guy who doesn't believe in Global warming and regularly rants false arguments about it. It wouldn't surprise me to learn he's a member of the "flat earth society."

[BlueDogMizzou]

4. A closed mind, closes doors

No, Obama has proposed to make veterans pay for treatment of service-related injuries with private insurance. Will any of those costs be passed on to the veteran?

Unclear. As a Veteran who has used private insurance, there ARE out of pocket costs. In addition to premiums, there are co-pays and prescription costs we must pay. Obama has made no mention of how the program would work, but if it works like TriCare, TriCare ALWAYS pays last and does NOT pay or supplement premiums or co-pays. Currently visits to the VA for service related disabilities are covered 100%, as are prescriptions and there are NO premiums for service related injuries.

Since most private and employer paid insurances have a maximum benefit, what happens when the vet hits the limit because of service related injuries or wounds? What happens if a vet reaches his private insurance maximum because of his service related wounds, then gets cancer, etc. that are not treated at the VA? Who pays then?

This is a poorly thought out plan to save a little bit of money and reminds me of the veterans treatment by Bush. I was outraged by the treatment of my wounded brothers at Walter Reed, and I am outaged at the treatment planned by Obama.

[Lasher]

5. This is about third party billing.

You don't seem to understand it.

You go to the VA and get treatment. The VA is your primary provider. You are charged by the VA for your copay, if any. There are no VA copays for service-connected conditions. If you have private health care insurance, the VA bills them as the secondary provider. The secondary provider pays their share to the VA. This is typically a small amount, relative to the cost covered by the primary provider (the VA in this case). Secondary provider billing never triggers patient expenses such as copays.

This is the way it works now when you go to the VA for checkups and for conditions that are not service-connected. It's the same way things are handled if you have dual coverage from private insurance companies. There is nothing sinister about it.

This is an astroturf campaign that was employed when the same proposal came up during the Clinton administration. Insurance companies have thawed it out for your consumption.