Scalise Fights to Preserve Veterans’ Health Care

Challenges Administration’s misguided policy that would have charged wounded heroes for treatment

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Washington, DC -- Congressman Steve Scalise has co-sponsored legislation that gives the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs full responsibility for financing healthcare for soldiers with service-connected disabilities.

“It is our sacred responsibility as Americans to take care of our military veterans who were wounded on duty while defending the freedom we all enjoy,” Scalise said. “We must fulfill that commitment to provide health care benefits for our wounded warriors, and our bill helped force the administration to reverse this misguided policy.”

Scalise joined Rep. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) and other Members to introduce H. Res. 249 expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the VA should take full responsibility for paying the health care benefits earned by veterans with service-connected disabilities. They introduced the legislation after President Obama announced his budget initiative that would make veterans’ private insurance liable for covering service-connected disabilities. Today reports are saying that President Obama has dropped his proposal.

The resolution also says that purchasing supplemental health insurance by a veteran should not be grounds for reducing the Federal Government’s obligation and the VA should not penalize disabled veterans who choose to purchase supplemental health insurance for themselves or their families.

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Contact: Luke Bolar
202-226-4309