OPINION:
In “Misfires on health care choice for America’s heroes” (Web, Dec. 19) writer Stewart Hickey uses isolated incidents and anecdotal Facebook comments to bash the leadership of the venerable 118-year-old Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. (VFW). He does so, apparently, because we oppose a misguided bill introduced by Rep. Doug Lamborn, Colorado Republican, that would dismantle the Department of Veterans Affairs’ health-care system and begin charging veterans for illnesses and injuries they received while defending our freedoms.
VFW’s advocacy on Capitol Hill is based on national resolutions passed by thousands of delegates who attend our annual national convention. We also conduct surveys, and lots of them. For VA-related health-care issues, we have conducted six surveys over the past three years that have captured the voices of more than 30,000 active-duty military, veterans, retirees and family members. Our members have made it very clear through these surveys and national resolutions that the overwhelming majority of them prefer to see their VA improved, not dismantled.
Yet Mr. Lamborn introduced legislation that would dismantle the health-care system designed for and specializing in caring for those who have worn our nation’s uniform. His ironically titled Veterans Empowerment Act would establish a non-government entity, which he refers to as “The Corporation,” as a paid-into insurance program similar to the Affordable Care Act, which he voted to repeal. It would also grant the secretary of veterans affairs the authority to terminate the Veterans Health Administration, which would then force veterans into a private health-care sector that also has waiting lists and is ill-prepared to see patients. This is why the VFW came out swinging with an action alert that generated nearly 12,000 responses urging members of Congress to oppose the measure.
No one in the VFW or our sister organizations here on Capitol Hill will ever call the VA perfect, but it is a health-care system worth saving, protecting and fixing, particularly after the nationwide crisis in care and confidence that engulfed it three years ago.
ROBERT E. WALLACE
Executive director, Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S.
Washington
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