Protecting Veterans' Health Care

We have an obligation to care for and honor America's servicemen and women, their families, and our veterans for their bravery and sacrifice. Under current policy, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is responsible for paying for the treatment of any injuries or disabilities resulting from a veterans' service to their country and veterans, or their private insurers, are responsible for paying for health care costs that are unrelated to their military service. A recent proposal under consideration by the Administration would have allowed the VA to bill veterans' private insurance companies for the treatment of service-connected injuries or disabilities. Yesterday, Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs Bob Filner (D-CA) said:

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. Our budget cannot be balanced on the backs (or legs, or kidneys, or hearts) of our nation's combat-wounded heroes. We believe we can achieve the Administration's budget request (the first in history to actually exceed the recommendation of the veterans' Independent Budget) in other ways.

Today, Rep. Glenn Nye (D-VA) and 68 Members of Congress wrote to President Obama in opposition of this proposal:

Dear Mr. President,

We first want to take this opportunity to thank you for the clear commitment your administration's budget outline makes to our nation's veterans. The proposed 10 percent increase in discretionary funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for next fiscal year is truly historic. We believe the 2010 budget will ensure the VA never again faces the chronic under-funding that prevented countless veterans from receiving the health benefits they have earned.

While we strongly support your plans to increase funding for the VA by $25 billion over the next five years, it is with equal conviction that we oppose the proposal to bill veterans' private health insurance plans for care and treatment of service-connected injuries or disabilities.

We do not give our veterans health care - they earn it - and it would be unacceptable for the VA to ask our veterans to pay for the treatment of injuries received while serving our nation in uniform. That responsibility belongs to the VA, and it would be wrong to outsource the responsibility of covering the care of those veterans to private insurance companies.

Additionally, this proposal could harm our veterans and their families in unintended, yet very serious ways, jeopardizing their families' health care and even negatively affecting veterans' employment opportunities. Billing a veteran's private health insurance for the treatment of service-connected injuries could lead to increased health care premiums, and could potentially discourage employers from hiring veterans.

We know you are committed to expanding employment opportunities for veterans. Already this year, your administration and Congress have worked to create countless jobs for veterans returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but this proposal would undermine our efforts.

We urge you to take this proposal off the table, and let us instead focus on ensuring that our veterans receive the full care and benefits they have earned. The moral obligation our nation has to our veterans demands nothing less. We are happy to discuss these issues with you further as we move toward a final budget for the VA.

We would like to thank you again for your commitment to improving care for the men and women who have borne the battle, and who have sacrificed their health and well-being in serving their country. Thank you for your service to our nation.

This afternoon, Speaker Pelosi met with leaders of veterans' service organizations and announced that the Administration is no longer considering the plan:

I'm pleased to announce that we have some good news of the past several days, President Obama has listened to the genuine concerns expressed by veteran's leaders and veterans service organizations regarding the option of billing service connected veterans insurance companies. Based on the respect that President Obama has for our nation's veterans and the principled concerns expressed by veterans' leaders, the President has made the decision that the combat-wounded veterans should not be billed through their insurance policies.

Learn more about the Democratic-led Congress' commitment to America's veterans>>