Veterans without Health Insurance
Jason Shafrin reports: A recent study finds that many veterans lack health insurance. As summarized in the National Journal:
“About 10 percent of U.S. veterans under the age of 65 lack health insurance and are not being cared for by the Veterans Affairs Department, either, according to a study published on Thursday.
The study estimated that 1.3 million veterans and nearly 950,000 members of their families lack health insurance. These uninsured military families account for 4.8 percent of the 47.3 million uninsured Americans, the Urban Institute and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation reported.”
Shafrin asks:Â But doesn’t the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) provide health insurance to all veterans?
It is true that the VA is “the nation’s largest health system and provides health care for many veterans through a system of medical centers, clinics, and other facilities…However, some veterans do not use VA health care services. Eligibility is based on veteran status, service-related disabilities, income level, and other factors, and even within the groups eligible for VA care, other factors, such as their proximity to VA facilities and the cost-sharing requirements, may affect the likelihood that they seek care in the VA system.”
Sounds like the British National Health Service.
How many of those uninsured veterans would rather go without coverage than deal with the VA? I’ve heard some negative stories from a few veterans and their families…..
Notice the misguided focus on health insurance with the usual omissions–how long are they uninsured, are they ill, are they eligible for Medicaid but not signed up, etc.
All of which begs the real question–are people who actually need medical care not getting it, and if so, why not?
The VA is facing a big reduction in mission as the World War II vets die. Interesting that such a study would come out now, even as ObamaCare has, we are constantly told, has solved the problem of the uninsured forever.
Medicaid for veterans? Many of them will not like that.