Cheney Tries to Calm Vets on Health Care

[w8liftinglady]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060301/ap_on_go_pr_wh/cheney_veterans
WASHINGTON - While veterans are worried about proposed cuts to their health care, Vice President Dick Cheney tried to reassure the American Legion on Tuesday that the Bush administration is committed to improving the system.
"The President and I came to office determined to enhance the quality of veterans' health care, to significantly increase the resources going to (Veterans Affairs), to modernize VA facilities, to improve service to veterans' families and to trim the backlog in processing disability claims," Cheney said. "We're meeting these objectives, but we'll never be complacent about the progress being made."

Leaders of the 3 million-member American Legion have been increasingly vocal about proposed increases for some veterans in enrollment fees, prescription copayments, premiums and deductibles.

[Deja Q]

1. Wouldn't it be better to fix the problem, than to worsen symptoms?

The problem is costs.

Deal with resolving costs.

Cutting benefits does nothing about the costs; they are still there.

Those who fought and died for America should not be so sorely treated.

And many who I know are Bush supporters.

[A K A Stone]

5. cheney

cheney should be removed from office. He is incompetant.

[newyawker99]

19. Hi A K A Stone!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[WinkyDink]

2. Lies. Just utterances of meaningless sound.

[Cleita]

3. It seems that they are always committed to fixing things, but

at best it doesn't get done. At worst, they do the opposite that they committed to. It's really time to stop believing in the liars club.

[Rose Siding]

4. Progress=cuts

How can those vets BUY that crap?

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

6. Another bald-faced lie.

But the American Legion has some soul-searching to do, too. I'm not quite as sympathetic as I could be had they not been so politically supportive of Chimp and his ilk.

[CrazyOrangeCat]

7. The vets I know . . .

. . . think Chimp and Dicky are colossal rectums.

[gratuitous]

8. Don't worry, vets

Dick's health care is fully paid for. Yours? Not so much. Don't you wish you traveled with a retinue of medical personnel just in case you drunkenly shot someone in the face?

[zulchzulu]

9. Bush and Cheney will never let their military brothers down

Kidding!

Just a couple of pussy chickenhawks...do you think they care?

[Maat]

10. Let me see ..

when the troops are injured in Iraq, and evacuated to the U.S., disabled or seriously injured, they try and sluff them off to the V.A. as soon as possible.

They try and charge them an entrance fee.

And they've made it so veterans with any kind of income can't qualify.

Shame on Darth Cheney! The policies enacted under this Administration's auspices have been unconscionable!

The man has no conscience whatsoever, and this dog-and-pony show proves it.

[Telly Savalas]

11. The vets better not give Dick any more lip...

or he'll shoot 'em in the face.

http://www.spiegel.de/img/0,1020,206707,00.jpg

But for chrissakes...how hard would it be for these assholes to at least try to keep up appearances and not gut our veteran's health care. Given the Bush Administrations aversion to anything resembling solid fiscal policy, it's baffling why they're so opposed to increasing the defecit by a tiny fraction to ensure that people who proudly served this country don't get shafted.

[spindrifter]

12. People must not have heard

DeadEye correctly. He and * came to office to make sure more people needed to rely on veteran's health care, to trim the backlog in disability claims by terminating service and generally demoralizing everyone who has to draw upon the VA by confusing them and stripping them of their money through higher and more fees and fee-look-alikes.

[mom cat]

13. Let him dig his own grave with his mouth. Bring it on Dickie!

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

14. Yes, but will they continue to be a willing cheering audience/backdrop for

shrubco? :shrug:

[CAG]

15. Its amazing that they keep harping about medicare, VA, medicaid,

and other govt healthcare costs continue to rise 5% a year (except of course medicare, which has risen much more sharply thanks to our inability to negotiate drug prices with repub big pharma) while our PRIVATE health insurance premiums keep rising 10-15% a year.

Its all about controlling the costs, whether the money is being spent in the private sector or the govt sector.

However, the second anyone in congress has the spine to address costs, the 49,384 lobbyists from Big pharma, etc, run to them to buy them off.

[fed-up]

16. Getting out of Iraq would immediately cut costs---duh n/t

[Justice Is Comin]

17. You tell em draft dodger !

All they need to do is go out and get a million dollars and then they will get a big tax cut. Plenty of money for their co-payments.

[Bleacher Creature]

18. "Exterminator Tries to Calm Roaches on Air Safety"

n/m

[area51]

20. "The President and I came to office determined to ....

...line our own pockets w/blood money, & we sure have been successful, haven't we?" </sarcasm>