Veterans groups: Our health is at risk

WASHINGTON — Several national veterans organizations are warning that Republican legislation to repeal Obamacare will strip health care from the military veterans who need it most, including those who are disabled or struggling with mental health issues.

In a letter sent to all 100 senators Tuesday, Paralyzed Veterans of America, one of the largest nonpartisan veterans’ groups in the country, denounced the “opaque and closed process” of crafting the bill that has not allowed the group to weigh in on how it would impact “catastrophically disabled veterans.”

Two other major organizations, Disabled American Veterans and AMVETS, also expressed alarm that the bill could limit veterans’ access to health care. This comes as President Donald Trump, who backs the bill, has said he is following through on his campaign promise to protect veterans by taking high-profile steps to move toward reforming the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Many advocacy groups expressed frustration at the widely held misconception that all military veterans can seek Veterans Administration care.

“I can’t tell you how many times someone with a puzzled look on their face has remarked ‘Don’t all veterans go to the VA?’ ” said Will Fischer, the head of government relations at VoteVets, a progressive veterans organization. “It should be crystal clear to people that this (bill) is absolutely a veterans issue.”

Of the more than 21 million veterans in the U.S., only about 8 million receive health care from the VA. In fact, many aren’t eligible due to minimum service requirements, discharge status and different disability ratings. In addition, millions of veterans in rural areas cannot access care at VA facilities.

Nearly one in 10 veterans — approximately 1.75 million — rely on Medicaid for health care coverage, according to an analysis of U.S. Census bureau data by Families USA. The bill would cut Medicaid spending by $772 billion, leading to 15 million fewer enrollees nationwide, according to the Congressional Budget Office.