Veterans May Face Health Care Cuts in 2008

"At least tens of thousands of veterans with non-critical medical issues could suffer delayed or even denied care in coming years to enable President Bush to meet his promise of cutting the deficit in half - if the White House is serious about its proposed budget. After an increase for next year, the Bush budget would turn current trends on their head. Even though the cost of providing medical care to veterans has been growing by leaps and bounds, White House budget documents assume a cutback in 2008 and further cuts thereafter. In fact, the proposed cuts are so draconian that it seems to some that the White House is simply making them up to make its long-term deficit figures look better. More realistic numbers, however, would raise doubts as to whether Bush can keep his promise to wrestle the deficit under control by the time he leaves office. The veterans' medical care cuts would come even though more and more people are trying to enter the system and as the number of people wounded in Iraq keeps rising. Even though Iraq war veterans represent only about 2 percent of the Veterans Administration's patient caseload, many are returning from battle with grievous injuries requiring costly care. The White House budget office, however, assumes that the veterans' medical services budget - up 69 percent since Bush took office and which would rise by 11 percent next year under Bush's budget can absorb cuts for three years in a row after that".

For those of you who don't realize this, career retirees and those who have service-related wounds or injuries are 99% of those using veterans' medical benefits. In some cases, other veterans who are poorer than dirt, meaning they're "eligible for Medicaid", can get VA medical benefits - But even those vets had to be receiving those benefits prior to 2003. The VA is going to need more money, not less money for medical services with all the wounded coming back from Iraq. Bush is playing a shell game - looking to save a few bucks on the backs of veterans instead of asking those who benefited, to come up with a little more. It's a national disgrace!