Posted on 12/22/2016 4:08:11 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
Donald Trump’s flair for connecting with veterans won him an overwhelming share of their votes, but the durability of the alliance is already being tested as Trump’s search for a Veterans Affairs secretary veers in a direction that has alarmed some of America’s most influential retired soldiers.
Under pressure from conservative activists, including former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and organizations funded by the Koch Brothers, Trump is contemplating choosing an agency chief who would upend the entire veterans healthcare system. That would come over the protest of the country’s major veterans groups.
An appointment like that could prove an early test of whether the voters who backed Trump in November will continue to stick with him when his agenda smacks into interest groups that have been crusading on their behalf for decades....
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
> I recommend trimming way back those who are eligible.
Trump didn’t run on reducing care for veterans.
When I surveyed my local Legion after separating several years ago, all I found were Sons of the Legion kicking back beer after beer in a dark and dank basement bar at their Hall. I decided to ultimately go my own way after that little experience.
When I surveyed my local Legion after separating several years ago, all I found were Sons of the Legion kicking back beer after beer in a dark and dank basement bar at their Hall. I decided to ultimately go my own way after that little experience.
Amen! Just toss all VA hospitals and allow us Veterans to go private. The VA covers the cost. Simple.
Of course the left wants to keep the VA system unchanged.
It’s a single payer system.
Crap treatment, but no one can buy up to a better grade of care through supplemental insurance, as one may do under Medicare. So it’s “fair”.
It is the left’s model for the entire US health system.
That's the job of the MSM these days, isn't it?
This is another “L.A. Times Fake News” article...The Military hate Barky, they cannot wait until President Trump is their Leader...or did you forget the Army, Navy Game and watched how much they love him already???
Exactly.
I agree. The system is clogged with many less than legitimate health concerns. It has been many years since an enlistee was guaranteed health care for life. Those that complete a minimum of 20 years, and those that have on-going service connected disabilities should be the priority. Combat related conditions (for life) should be the number one priority. All beyond those three considerations should be standby/space A.
Civilian health resources should be used where appropriate and the VA needs to clear out its underbrush and massive bureaucracy. With civil service being what it is, reform is difficult to impossible.
I’ve had excellent VA support from the Biloxi, Mississippi facility.
I am 100% service-connected and I chose private health care over the VA any day of the week. That includes dental and vision.
These kinds of hand-wringing articles will dog Trump through his presidency.
If he does X, that is horrible.
If he does Y, that is terrible.
If he does Z, he should have done X or Y instead.
Best to turn off the network/cable news and ignore the MSM for the next 8 years.
The VA is not “healthcare” as in what is termed as “healthcare” outside of the VA. When more people start catching onto this fact they will understand. I had an accident in the military... it ruined my life. I got benefits from the VA and they ruined my life more than the accident could ever. They thought they knew what was best for me when they had no clue what they were even talking about when it came to technology.
The past election cycle here in Michigan, there was a Democrap ad that for the first 2/3rds of the ad, they focused on the evil Koch Brothers and how they and their evil oil were responsible for polluting the rivers and streams here in Michigan. Then the last 1/3rd of the ad was about the republican representative running for office and that her campaign was being funded by the evil Kochs........LOL!
He thought if you called sailors “soldiers” that he was complimenting him. Except, it is very insulting.
What are the specifics that they assume he is going to make and are objecting to? I can’t bring up the article...
The new head of VA will have a large order to fill. Final ruling on whether or not to add hypertension to list of “Presumptive Agent Orange Illnesses.” The burn pit studies will begin to unfold. The huge backlog in claims/patient care/waiting lists and nursing homes. Endless problems.
Oh I always thought he was just an idiot!
> Those that complete a minimum of 20 years, and those that have on-going service connected disabilities should be the priority.
What about those already retired — in their 70s, 80s, and older, with retirement incomes below the poverty level — who can’t afford to pay the supplemental insurance payments for Medicare? They retired with the understanding that they had enough to subsist, if not to live in comfort. Now, at an age when they have little chance of working to support themselves, do you support dumping them into the rest of the indigent population, in many instances causing them to lose their homes or not be able to pay rent, in effect, putting them on the street?
“Sorry, veterans, we changed our minds. ‘Thank you for your service’ and all that, but you old bastards need to get off your duffs and earn a living!”
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