Medical Coverage in Bush Country

I'd just like to briefly juxtapose two recent news items: a portion of a recent Bush litany of denial and misrepresentation (standard stump speech), and one of hundreds of news reports regarding the sorry state of medical coverage in the United States for veterans:

From Bush's "President's Remarks at Victory 2004 Rally in The Villages, Florida", October 19, 2004:

"When we came into office, we had a problem with Medicare. Medicine was changing; Medicare was not. And let me give you an example. Many here understand what I'm talking about. Medicare would pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for heart surgery, but not one dime for the prescription drugs that could prevent the heart surgery from being needed in the first place. That did not make any sense for people on Medicare. It didn't make any sense for the taxpayers of the country. I pledged to bring Republicans and Democrats together to strengthen and modernize Medicare for our seniors. I kept my word. (Applause.) Seniors are getting discounts on medicine, and beginning in 2006, all seniors will be able to get prescription drugs coverage under Medicare.

We have more work to do when it comes to moving forward with health care. I have practical plans to make sure health care is available and affordable. We need a safety net for those with the greatest need. I believe in community health centers, places where the poor and the indigent can get good preventative and primary care. In a new term, we'll make sure every poor county in America has a community health center. (Applause.) We will do more to make sure poor children are fully subscribed in our programs for low-income families. "

From "1.7 million veterans lack coverage", Chicago Sun-Times, October 20, 2004:

"Nearly 1.7 million veterans have no health insurance or access to government hospitals and clinics, according to a report released Tuesday.

In Illinois, an estimated 227,000 Illinois vets and their family members are without coverage.

The study also says veterans are losing their health insurance at a faster rate than the general population, and the lack of health care is particularly acute among younger military members who served in the most recent wars...

...Robert "Lee" Newtson, 62, of suburban Elburn decided last year to drop his costly private health insurance and get his medical care through the Veterans Health Administration -- a benefit he was due because of two years of active duty in the Army in the '60s.

Newtson said it was months before he was scheduled to see a VHA doctor. During the wait, he ended up needing open-heart surgery. He said the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs balked at paying his $91,000 medical bill because he hadn't been seen by a VHA physician. Quinn's office stepped in and resolved the matter.

'I had to file for bankruptcy," Newtson said. "It's just not right. We all served our country and this is the thanks we're not getting.'"

Draw your own conclusions.