President-elect Barack Obama and Iraqi war veteran and Illinois State Director of Veterans Affairs, Tammy Duckworth, place a wreath at The Bronze Soldiers Memorial in honor of Veteran's Day on the Lakefront in Chicago, Illinois.

Isn't that a nice picture...so heartwarming! I hope she remembered to pay her insurance premiums, because now President Obama wants to charge wounded veterans for treatment. The President is looking to generate $540 million by requiring private insurance companies to reimburse the Department of Veterans Affairs in cases of soldiers who suffered service-connected injuries and disabilities.

The American Legion "strongly opposes" the President's proposed plan, and states, "The American Legion does not and will not support any plan that seeks to bill a veteran for treatment of a service connected disability at the very agency that was created to treat the unique need of America's veterans!"

An excerpt from the following linked article states:

It was stated then that The American Legion believes that the reimbursement plan would be inconsistent with the mandate that VA treat service-connected injuries and disabilities given that the United States government sends members of the armed forces into harm's way, and not private insurance companies. The proposed requirement for these companies to reimburse the VA would not only be unfair, says the Legion, but would have an adverse impact on service-connected disabled veterans and their families. The Legion argues that, depending on the severity of the medical conditions involved, maximum insurance coverage limits could be reached through treatment of the veteran's condition alone. That would leave the rest of the family without health care benefits. The Legion also points out that many health insurance companies require deductibles to be paid before any benefits are covered. Additionally, the Legion is concerned that private insurance premiums would be elevated to cover service-connected disabled veterans and their families, especially if the veterans are self-employed or employed in small businesses unable to negotiate more favorable across-the-board insurance policy pricing. The American Legion also believes that some employers, especially small businesses, would be reluctant to hire veterans with service-connected disabilities due to the negative impact their employment might have on obtaining and financing company health care benefits.

To read the complete article, follow the link:
American Legion Stronly Opposed to President's Plan