[Cardinal]

I was just reading this article and although aware there was a crisis, was still shocked at the apparent lack of care and rehabilitation given to US Vets - surely the 'richest' country in the world should try and do better by their own ... a shameful situation?

(Please correct me if I'm wrong or if you believe the article is biased.)

Taking Care of Our Vets - TIME

[Epapazian]

The article could well be biased, however that shouldn't excuse even a single incident such as described in this article. BTW, I wonder how this publication felt about our Viet Nam vets being spat on upon their return from that war?

[Old Crow]

Cardinal, this is an old and tragic story, first breaking over a year ago. Here are a couple of links to read:

Soldiers Face Neglect, Frustration At Army's Top Medical Facility - washingtonpost.com
Walter Reed Scandal: How Mainstream Media Let Us Down
FOXNews.com - Dems Call Walter Reed Scandal 'Katrina of 2007' - Politics | Republican Party | Democratic Party | Political Spectrum

It is a shameful story, no doubt about it. It is also clear the story was politicized and, like just about everything else reported in the media, presented in biased fashion. That does not change the fact, however, that the military really dropped the ball on this.

[Cardinal]

Originally Posted by Old Crow

Cardinal, this is an old and tragic story, first breaking over a year ago. Here are a couple of links to read:

Soldiers Face Neglect, Frustration At Army's Top Medical Facility - washingtonpost.com
Walter Reed Scandal: How Mainstream Media Let Us Down
FOXNews.com - Dems Call Walter Reed Scandal 'Katrina of 2007' - Politics | Republican Party | Democratic Party | Political Spectrum

It is a shameful story, no doubt about it. It is also clear the story was politicized and, like just about everything else reported in the media, presented in biased fashion. That does not change the fact, however, that the military really dropped the ball on this.

If Senator McCain succeeds in his quest for the Oval Office will things change, given that he may be more empathetic as a result of his own experiences, or is the problem more systemic ...?

[Old Crow]

If Senator McCain succeeds in his quest for the Oval Office will things change, given that he may be more empathetic as a result of his own experiences, or is the problem more systemic ...?

Hard to say, though intuitively you would assume McCain will push for greater benefits for injured vets. I do think it is largely systemic- the Pentagon is one of the world's largest bureaucracies.

[Cavtanker]

(rant on) Imagine if this broken system became the standard for all Americans. If you think public health care is a good idea, go take a look at public housing (rant off).

Here's my military health care story:

In Oct 2006, I found out that my name was in a database that couldn't talk between two different database systems. So, I wasn't covered on military health care until the problem was fixed. Here's what I was told to do:

"In case anything happens to you, just save the receipts (or invoice, etc.) and once the system is running correctly, you'll be reimbursed what you are owed."



When I was in Iraq, my older brother had his appendix removed. Granted, he works at the Mayo Clinic, so it was a bit pricey...to the tune of $20,000 for a same day surgery.

Can you imagine yourself paying $20,000 out of pocket for a surgery and then having to wait, say, 6 months to 2 years to get reimbursed.

The story ends: I kept calling about how soon my name would be cleared up and I could get on the system. No luck there at all.

So, I got married in August 2007 and went on my wife's health care insurance through her work. I filled out some paperwork and then one week later I got the little card in the mail from Blue Cross/Blue Shield. And they all lived happily ever after with health insurance from a private corporation.

[gbeck]

Cardinal,

If I am not mistaken we have 4 former POW's in the Congress or Senate, including the Republican Candidate for Pres., these guys have been in there for awhile now, and I have not seen any one of them specifically pushing for better conditions for any of the Vets. IMHO there has never been enough done for these guys, including the few WWII that are still around. The living conditions in some of the Medical Facilities are still deplorable, and most understaffed. The Guy from NBC Bob Woodruff, who was wounded in Iraq, has done more in a short period of time than any of the YahHoos in the Big House have done in the past 10 yrs. If they had truly cared about all of the Vets, they were the ones in a position to do what was necessary, but having been elected to such an aspiring position, they have become very comfortable with very few monitary needs for their retirement. When you can retire with full salary for the rest of your life, and the best insurance there is available, they tend to forget the average JOE! If they were to have to go to one of their out patient facilities, and set all day long to get a prescript. they may have different thoughts.

GBeck

[STARMAN 352ND]

This really needs to change for the better...Our Vets put their lives on the line one time or another and this is how they get treated...
So sad....
JP

[jim]

Originally Posted by Cavtanker

(rant on)
When I was in Iraq, my older brother had his appendix removed. Granted, he works at the Mayo Clinic, so it was a bit pricey...to the tune of $20,000 for a same day surgery.

Can you imagine yourself paying $20,000 out of pocket for a surgery and then having to wait, say, 6 months to 2 years to get reimbursed.

$20.000 for an appendix op, sheesh!

A friend of mine had his removed using private healthcare and it cost £3500.
National health charge would have been zero.

I didn't think charges were so high in the USA.

I also was under the impression that the US looked after its Vets although I do know that the Vietnam Vets had a hard time.

[Shawn 507]

Noone cares and they will really G.O.S. less when this thing finally ends. America is so full of crap when it comes to its military and her vets. While we may hate to hear such news, it only really bothers Americans because it was brought to their attention. Soldiers and dogs stay off the lawn.
Another example while off topic.
I've come to learn that while we have these great uparmored humvees, they are more of a death trap than before. A ton of add on armor but no suspension upgrades. What does this mean? The damn thing will rollover in a heartbeat. Let the number of accident related deaths caused by these things get out and see what happens. One big band-aid is all that additional armor is. One has to wonder which is worse the IED, or the effects of being tossed around in one of these cramped overly equipped (inside and out) P.O.S..
I'm told we'll have one up armored and three MRAPs when we get in country. I wonder what hidden joys the MRAP has? As for healthcare, don't get me started.