Barack Obama Wants Wounded Soldiers to Pay for Treatment with Private Health Insurance

Barack Obama has angered and dismayed Craig Roberts, the leader of the American Legion, with a plan that would force private insurance companies to pay the medical costs of their customers who belong to the US military and have sustained service-related injuries.

This move is bound to save the Federal government hundreds of millions of dollars, but it is going to have tremendous consequences for people who are in the military. By shifting this financial burden away from the government and to the insurance companies, Obama will be creating an insurance nightmare for those who are serving this country or have in the past. Faced with the enormous new cost and liability, the insurance companies will have to raise their rates on members of the military. The insurance companies may not even want to take the risks and just drop coverage for military people. Even worse, employers may be reluctant to hire veterans and reservists because of the associated increased healthcare costs. Also, some medical plans may require huge out-of-pocket payments or enforce high deductibles before coverage kicks in. No matter how you look at it, this is a losing proposition for members of the US military.

The real crime is the betrayal. When a person puts his or her safety and life on the line for the country, we have a duty as nation to care for them if they sustain service-related injuries. Anything less is immoral. How can we possibly people to fight for our country and then not cover their medical expenses when they are hurt in the line of duty.

If Chairman Obama executes this plan or anything like it, it will be an incredibly shameful act. If America chooses to treat its wounded veterans in this way, how can we possibly expect anyone to want to fight for this country?