Good times for government health care employees, not so good for vets (Congress, health care system)

[ViewFromThePeak]

As vets await checks, VA workers get $24M bonuses - Yahoo! News

[jojajn]

Yet another fine mess GWB left us!

Although many Americans believe that the nation’s veterans have ready access to health care, that is far from the case. A new study by researchers at the Harvard Medical School has found that millions of veterans and their dependents have no access to care in veterans’ hospitals and clinics and no health insurance to pay for care elsewhere. Their plight represents yet another failure of our disjointed health care system to provide coverage for all Americans.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/09/opinion/09fri2.html

[Wapasha]

Originally Posted by jojajn

Yet another fine mess GWB left us!



http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/09/opinion/09fri2.html

So what is this article saying, since government healthcare is failing our vets, we need to expand the same government healthcare to cover all Americans?

[saganista]

Originally Posted by Wapasha

So what is this article saying, since government healthcare is failing our vets, we need to expand the same government healthcare to cover all Americans?

Can any of this be reconciled to fact?

[jojajn]

Originally Posted by Wapasha

So what is this article saying, since government healthcare is failing our vets, we need to expand the same government healthcare to cover all Americans?

No, it suggests that we need to reduce Republican influence on anything in government. The Repubs take care of big corporations but leave the common person without any help. The Republicans have made this a nation of corporate welfare!

[cobolt]

Originally Posted by jojajn

No, it suggests that we need to reduce Republican influence on anything in government. The Repubs take care of big corporations but leave the common person without any help. The Republicans have made this a nation of corporate welfare!

How do you come to that conclusion from this article? The VA doesn't seem to be running things correctly. That's a govt issue, not a partisan issue, not a corporate issue. Govt employees, unlike vets, do not have govt run health care like the VA. They have generous private insurance healthcare plans from which to pick and choose and blend to their liking. Govt employees and Congress don't have to deal with the cr*p vets do. Maybe if they were subjected to their own laws, they'd write better ones.

[jojajn]

Originally Posted by cobolt

How do you come to that conclusion from this article? The VA doesn't seem to be running things correctly. That's a govt issue, not a partisan issue, not a corporate issue. Govt employees, unlike vets, do not have govt run health care like the VA. They have generous private insurance healthcare plans from which to pick and choose and blend to their liking. Govt employees and Congress don't have to deal with the cr*p vets do. Maybe if they were subjected to their own laws, they'd write better ones.

From here;

President Bush Leads Republican Effort to Slash Veterans' Health Programs; Democrats Fight Back

During the Senate's consideration of the Fiscal Year 2004 Emergency Supplemental Appropriations bill, Senate Republicans defeated a Democratic amendment that would have closed the full $1.8 billion gap in veterans' health funding; furthermore, in conference, Senate Republicans voted to eliminate a Senate-passed amendment guaranteeing an additional $1.3 billion in funding for veterans' health care programs.

[HappyTexan]

Originally Posted by jojajn

No, it suggests that we need to reduce Republican influence on anything in government. The Repubs take care of big corporations but leave the common person without any help. The Republicans have made this a nation of corporate welfare!

So Dems are in total power now. Do you see them fixing this ?
Reversing what you say GWB did ?

The blame game can only go on so long. We are now 8 months into a Democratic administration. Rather then blaming the past administration you should be demanding that the current administration "fix it".

[jojajn]

Originally Posted by HappyTexan

So Dems are in total power now. Do you see them fixing this ?
Reversing what you say GWB did ?

The blame game can only go on so long. We are now 8 months into a Democratic administration. Rather then blaming the past administration you should be demanding that the current administration "fix it".

Yes. Obama has/is doing more for the vets in 8 months than GWB did his entire 8 years!

Progress
•The The Recovery Act provides the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) with more than $1.4 billion to improve services to America’s Veterans
◦The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) enables the VA to improve medical facilities and national cemeteries, provide grants to assist states in acquiring or constructing state nursing homes and extended care facilities, and to modify or alter existing facilities to care for Veterans.
◦VA will dedicate ARRA funds to hire and train 1,500 temporary claims processors to speed benefits delivery to Veterans and pursue needed information technology initiatives for improved benefits and services. Funds will also be used to oversee and audit programs, grants, and projects funded under ARRA.
◦As part of the President’s Recovery plan, VA will also make one-time payments of $250 to eligible Veterans and survivors to mitigate the effects of the current economy. These payments will be issued as early as June 2009. VA estimates $700 million in payments will be made to eligible beneficiaries as part of this measure.

Veterans

[cobolt]

Originally Posted by jojajn

Yes. Obama has/is doing more for the vets in 8 months than GWB did his entire 8 years!



Veterans

You got THAT right. Obama re inestates the death book for vets that Bush stopped. Way to go Obamy!!

Jim Towey: The Death Book for Veterans - WSJ.com