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Voucher cards not the answer for veterans

I recently called the Disabled American Veterans Organization in Washington D.C., an organization of which I am a life member as a disabled veteran. I soon received some information on the voucher card program that so many politicians are promoting. You hear them say things like “let the money follow the veteran instead of funding the VA.”

Catchy-sounding, isn’t it? What it means in real life is take money out of the Department of Veterans Affairs and sending it to the private sector. When they give you that plastic card and tell you to go wherever you like and to whomever you like, It seems they are trying to improve your choices and availability of your health care options and actually that could be so, IF this was additional money from those who owe — our government — to those who deserve and need the care –our veterans. But we are talking Washington here, so something that good is just not possible.

What is really happening is that the cost of the voucher cards is being taken from current veterans funds. They are not giving us more, they are just shuffling what we already have but in the process they are adding profits for their friends, the people who fund their campaigns, that being big insurance and the big drug companies.

This voucher card thing (get the care you need when you need it, near your home — another of their pitches to get you to “be happy”) is nothing but the old shell game. But in this case, when you lift all the shells, the pea is not under any of them. It is in the pocket of someone from the current medical system, a system that is not working for America in general.

Let me talk money here. This voucher card program is estimated to cost $50 billion. Do you really think a Congress that has been loath to fully fund and fully staff the current VA Heath Care System is ever going to “find” an extra $50 billion for this voucher program? No, sadly this will come from funds already allotted to the Veterans Health System, a system that is, right now, very good and very underfunded.

Now I know that all of this sounds a bit much, so please do not believe me. I want you to call your U.S. senators (you have two) and your U.S. representative (you have one) and ask that person straight out about this. Ask first if they have ever gone before the House to demand full funding and full staffing for the current Veterans Administration health care system? I have one Republican senator and when I asked that question, the person in the senator’s office said “Have a good day” and hung up on me. I hope you have a better result.

But back to the point — once they have dodged the first question or refused to answer it, go on and ask them if this $50 billion is “new” money for the veterans or just money already allocated and being shuffled to a different program.

Meanwhile, if you see a person wearing a hat that says he or she is a veteran, or if someone is wearing their service ribbons on their clothes (a recommended practice actually), go over and thank them for their service in keeping America free. You probably will not have to wait for the smile you will get in return.

Now go make those calls. Really. We all need the Veterans Administration, just like we all need those who step up and become veterans. As always, feel free to contact me. I will happily share the information I have on this so far.

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