Subject: Democrats Reject Health Care Fees For Vets

[allan]

fwd from: Colonel Dan

Subject: Democrats reject health care fees for vets

http://www.armytimes.com/news/

<http://www.armytimes.com/news/2007/03/TNSvabudget070302/>

2007/03/TNSvabudget070302/

<http://www.armytimes.com/news/2007/03/TNSvabudget070302/>

Democrats reject health care fees for vets

By Rick

<mailto:rmaze@atpco.com%3Fsubject=Question%20from%20ArmyTimes.com%20reader>

Maze - Staff writer

Friday Mar 2, 2007 12:04:24 EST

Democrats who control the House and Senate veterans' affairs committees

have rejected the Bush administration's call for new enrollment fees and

higher drug co-payments for some veterans and have proposed bigger budgets

for health care.In the Senate, Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii, the veterans'

committee chairman, and his fellow Democrats are asking for a $2.9 billion

increase over the Bush budget proposal for the Department of Veterans

Affairs, specifically for medical care.

The Bush administration had requested $39.4 billion for the VA for

nonbenefits items, including $34.6 billion for health care-related costs."We

believe that this is the amount necessary to treat all eligible veterans and

maintain the quality of VA medical services through the upcoming fiscal

year," Akaka said in a statement.

Specifically, Democrats and Sen. Bernard Sanders, I-Vermont, who also serves

on the Senate committee, have asked for an additional $300 million for

treatment of traumatic brain injuries, $357 million specifically for the

health care of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans, and $693 million more for

mental health programs.

In the House, Bob Filner, D-Calif., the veterans' committee chairman, and

his Democratic colleagues are recommending a $1.3 billion increase in the

2008 veterans' health care budget, and also are asking for $5 billion for

veterans' programs to be put into the 2007 wartime supplemental funding

bill.

Filner said in an interview that the $3 billion would be to pay for a

post-traumatic stress disorder initiative, $1 billion would be for traumatic

brain injury and polytrauma care, $500 million would be to try to eliminate,

"once and for all," the backlog of pending benefits claims and $500 million

would be to pay for GI Bill improvements.House Democratic leaders have not

signed off on putting $5 billion for veterans in the supplemental

appropriations bill, but in a March 1 letter, Filner told them this should

be a priority.

"I believe that a storm is brewing across the country, a storm of discontent

regarding our treatment of veterans, and we must act now and act quickly,"

Filner wrote.In an interview, Filner said his appeal is simple: "If we can

fund the war, we must fund the warriors."Democrats on both committees have

rejected Bush administration proposals to increase out-of-pocket costs for

priority seven and eight veterans, those with moderate incomes who do not

have service-connected disabilities.

One rejected proposal would have increased the current $8 charge for

prescription drugs to $15. A second proposal involved charging enrollment

fees of as high as $750 a year, based on family income.The funding requests

are being made in letters to the House and Senate budget committees, which

are required to draw up an overall federal spending plan.

The budget committees are supposed to prepare budget plans for approval by

April 15, although that deadline is rarely met.Filner said he knows that the

$1.3 billion increase in medical care spending is less than the amount

sought by veterans' service organizations, but Democratic leaders have

stressed the need to hold down costs.

The $5 billion in supplemental spending would make up for a reduced 2008

budget, he said.It was not just Democrats who opposed the fees and who want

more money for veterans. Rep. Steve Buyer, R-Ind., the former House

veterans' committee chairman and now ranking Republican, also rejected the

fee increases in his budget recommendations.

Buyer and fellow Republicans on the committee recommended a $2.9 billion

increase in administration's VA budget plan, including $1.5 billion to

improve the GI Bill for National Guard and Reserve members.In a statement,

Buyer said the increases are aimed at what he sees as "enduring priorities"

- caring for disabled veterans, the indigent, providing a seamless

transition to civilian life, and giving veterans "every opportunity to live

full, healthy lives.

"That is an area where they all seem to agree. Akaka said, "It is important

for both Congress and the administration to realize that meeting the needs

of our veterans is an ongoing cost of war. Our nations' veterans deserve

timely benefits and quality medical care.

We can provide no less."A budget letter from Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, the

former chairman and now ranking minority party member on the Senate

Veterans' Affairs committee, was not available for comment, but Craig has

been one of the few lawmakers to support the idea of charging fees - which

he refers to as premiums - and he is expected to endorse the

administration's proposal for enrollment fees.

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Contributed,

YNCS Don Harribine, USN(ret)

[Pete53]

Good for them its about time I might add.

[sixthscents]

I trust Buyer as far as I can throw him... hes just a shill for Bush. I admit it... I voted republican so I only have myself to blame... but I didnt vote Republican during the senate races.. and I dont believe I will again...