The People Have Spoken!!

[artabr]

Don't let anyone tell you that speaking out doesn't work.
Here's proof that it does.

http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news...ersal_031809w/

Obama backs down on vets insurance billing




By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Mar 18, 2009 19:35:13 EDT

The Obama administration waved a white flag of surrender Wednesday, dropping a budget proposal that would have billed private insurance companies for treatment of service-connected medical problems at Veterans Affairs Department hospitals and clinics.

“It was total capitulation,” one participant said at a meeting Wednesday with White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel in which 11 veterans groups vowed they would fight to the end to kill the proposal.

AmVets Executive Director Jim King said he was glad the White House promised to kill the idea, which was distracting from the good news of the Obama administration’s proposed $4.9 billion increase in the VA budget, and which would have hurt disabled veterans, their families and maybe even employees at the same companies.

Billing private insurance to pay for veterans’ health care would make disabled veterans less desirable employees for companies worried about holding down health care costs, and could have led to veterans and their families paying higher premiums — even raising premiums for everyone working for the same company, King said.

Veterans groups met Monday with President Barack Obama to discuss the controversial proposal, but Obama promised only to look at the issue.

On Wednesday, Emanuel “said he was wrong” in his earlier support of the proposal, King said. “The 11 groups spoke with one voice, and he accepted that.”

The announcement of the reversal came from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., not from the White House.

“I feel something good happened for veterans,” King said, adding that the White House deserved criticism for proposing the idea in the first place but also credit for quickly dropping it.

Disabled American Veterans also commended the reversal. “The president was very open and candid when he met with veterans groups earlier this week, and we are pleased that he has heard our concerns and taken them to heart,” said David Gorman, executive director of DAV’s Washington office.

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs confirmed the White House had changed its position.

“In considering the third party billing issue, the administration was seeking to maximize the resources available for veterans,” Gibbs said in a statement. However, the president “listened to concerns raised by the VSOs that this might, under certain circumstances, affect veterans and their families’ ability to access health care” and agreed with them. “The president has instructed that its consideration be dropped.”

In an effort that could be viewed as making up for some of the political damage caused by the controversy, Gibbs said that President Barack Obama “wants to continue a constructive partnership” with military and veterans groups and is “grateful” to the groups that worked with him on the proposal, even in opposition.

The White House is not talking about reversing current policy, which does bill the private insurers of some veterans for treatment not directly related to a service-connected injury, illness or disease. If anything, billing for nonservice-connected care could become even more aggressive in an effort to generate money for health care, which is what Emanuel told veterans groups was the whole reason for even considering expanding insurance billing.

The White House idea was not getting support in Congress. On Wednesday morning, before the change was announced, Rep. Bob Filner, D-Calif., the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee chairman, issued a statement saying he would not even consider such legislation.

“The Obama administration’s proposal to charge third-party insurance companies for service-connected medical treatment will not be taken up by the Veterans Affairs Committee,” Filner said. “Our budget cannot be balanced on the backs, or legs, or kidneys or hearts of our nation’s combat-wounded heroes,” he said.

The proposal gave Republicans an opening to question whether the Obama administration really wants to help veterans. Rep. Sam Johnson, R-Texas, a decorated Air Force veteran and former prisoner of war in Vietnam, called the insurance billing idea “sad and shameful.”

“As a combat-wounded fighter pilot who served in two wars, I find the White House idea of charging wounded war heroes for care absurd, abhorrent and unconscionable,” he said in a speech on the House floor.




Art

[4EvrLearning]

*doing a happy dance* Yesssss!!! Kudos to everyone who spoke out, to all the Vet organizations, and...yes...kudos to "O" and Emanuel for listening.

[Haligan]

I want to know what DaBamma is really doing this week. To me this is smoke or noise. I don't believe DaBamma had any hope of getting this through. It must be a decoy. Are they trying to gage our responce to things. Are they floating red herrings like this to distract us.
Someone look me in eye. (hard to do on a forum I know) and tell me he's really this stupid, to try and pull something like this off.

[USMC-03]

While this is a good thing, it was doomed to fail from the beginning. They had to know that, not all of the B.O. administration is that stupid. So, my question is why? What did they have to gain by getting shot down in flames? If this is the sacrificial lamb, what were they really after?

[USMC-03]

Great minds as they say Haligan, eh?

[Haligan]

Originally Posted by USMC-03

While this is a good thing, it was doomed to fail from the beginning. They had to know that, not all of the B.O. administration is that stupid. So, my question is why? What did they have to gain by getting shot down in flames? If this is the sacrificial lamb, what were they really after?

Ha Ha beat ya to it. I know I'm in good company.

[bcj1755]

Originally Posted by Haligan

I want to know what DaBamma is really doing this week. To me this is smoke or noise. I don't believe DaBamma had any hope of getting this through. It must be a decoy. Are they trying to gage our responce to things. Are they floating red herrings like this to distract us.
Someone look me in eye. (hard to do on a forum I know) and tell me he's really this stupid, to try and pull something like this off.

Originally Posted by USMC-03

While this is a good thing, it was doomed to fail from the beginning. They had to know that, not all of the B.O. administration is that stupid. So, my question is why? What did they have to gain by getting shot down in flames? If this is the sacrificial lamb, what were they really after?

You guys are right, these slimeballs are sneaking their way towards something.

[4EvrLearning]

Haligan: I'll look you in the eye if you tell me how to float a red herring

Seriously, I think he will try ANYTHING he can, to advance his overall agenda, and test the strength, tolerance, intelligence and "guts" of the American people. There is a lot that has gotten under the radar already, I believe, and I'm just glad this one didn't!! You don't wanna upset an Army mom...trust me!

[USMC-03]

Originally Posted by bcj1755

You guys are right, these slimeballs are sneaking their way towards something.

And even if they really are that dumb it's best not to underestimate these scoundrels.

[artabr]

Originally Posted by Haligan

I want to know what DaBamma is really doing this week. To me this is smoke or noise. I don't believe DaBamma had any hope of getting this through. It must be a decoy. Are they trying to gage our responce to things. Are they floating red herrings like this to distract us.
Someone look me in eye. (hard to do on a forum I know) and tell me he's really this stupid, to try and pull something like this off.

.


I truly believe these people were serious. They may have wanted to do this in order to push people towards national health care.
Once the Vets and service members would have been out on their own and started rasing hell about this, Obozo and his crew run to the TV cameras à la Chuck Shumer, screaming, Look, look!! See we need national health care.

I don't put anything past the nerve of these people. They are power craving egotist. They won't a little thing like stupidty get in their way.


Art

[bcj1755]

Originally Posted by artabr

.


I truly believe these people were serious. They may have wanted to do this in order to push people towards national health care.
Once the Vets and service members would have been out on their own and started rasing hell about this, Obozo and his crew run to the TV cameras à la Chuck Shumer, screaming, Look, look!! See we need national health care.

I don't put anything past the nerve of these people. They are power craving egotist. They won't a little thing like stupidty get in their way.


Art

Oh, I don't doubt that they were serious. But I think they were also probably using this to cover up something else just as, if not more, insideous...like maybe that GIVE Act BS.

[SaddleSarge]

I agree with all with one proviso, this was testing the waters and would have gone ahead if he got the nod from his Nobama-bots. I think he misjudged the response due to his own prejudice and disdain for our heroes in the armed forces. If he could have gotten away with it, he would have just replaced our brave men and women with blue helmets and brown shirts.

It took attention away, for a brief moment, from the HR1388, Chris Dodd and AIG, and HR 45, his inability to appoint a cabinet member without issues, and on and on and on..........

Edit: Basically, his arrogance and prejudice led him to an underestimation of the citizens of this nation believing that his followers would laud him as hero for screwing the military over.

[45nut]

Originally Posted by SaddleSarge

If he could have gotten away with it, he would have just replaced our brave men and women with blue helmets and brown shirts.

Don't worry, that's coming too, at least the Brown Shirts. Who do you think is going to be collecting our toys? Local LEO's or military guys? They don't want any part of that.

This is a group that will have to be watched 24/7.

[Teejay9]

Probably one of the most stupid, ill-conceived, morally lacking ideas ever to come out of Washington D.C. Making WIAs to pay for their own injuries. I'm all for cutting Gov't spending, but not at the price of our young men and women in harm's way. Good second guess, Barry!! Dipsh!t TJ