Romney Tells Vets Today He Wants To Privatize Their Health Care

[bigtree]

. . . just like his proposal to privatize Medicare.


from HuffPo:http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/11/mitt-romney-veterans-health-care-privatization_n_1089061.html

Speaking with a dozen vets in an occasionally emotional roundtable discussion in South Carolina Friday . . .

"When you work in the private sector and you have a competitor, you know if I don't treat this customer right, they're going to leave me and go somewhere else, so I'd better treat them right," Romney said. "Whereas if you're the government, they know there's nowhere else you guys can go. You're stuck.

Sometimes you wonder if there would be some way to introduce some private-sector competition, somebody else that could come in and say, you know, that each soldier gets X thousand dollars attributed to them, and then they can choose whether they want to go in the government system or in a private system with the money that follows them," said Romney. "Like what happens with schools in Florida, where people have a voucher that goes with them. Who knows . . .?"

"It is well-known that Romney wants to take away seniors' Medicare and turn it into a privatized voucher system, but it is unfathomable that on Veterans Day he would even hint at privatizing their VA health care," said Protect Your Care spokesman Eddie Vale. "Although I guess that is the kind of thing they should expect from someone who in the past said his sons also served their country by campaigning for him."


read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/11/mitt-romney-veterans-health-care-privatization_n_1089061.html

What does Romney propose vets and their families do when health care costs inevitably outstrip the value of the vouchers?

[madrchsod]

1. well he can kiss those votes good-bye!

mittens fucked up BIG TIME!

[RKP5637]

3. Maybe we can privatize mittens and then sell him. n/t

[madrchsod]

4. i don`t think we could give him away.

[stevedeshazer]

2. 100% tone deaf.

On freaking Veteran's Day?

What an idiot.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

5. Republicans are all shooting themselves in the foot this cycle

Privatizing benefits like ss, medicare, and veterans' benefits is extremely unpopular, even among conservatives. I know Romney right now isn't playing to the center and is trying to keep from sinking by playing to the extreme right. But I think he's chosen a terrible issue to play with.

[moondust]

6. B.U.L.L.S.H.I.T.

I'm a VA patient and have received excellent care. I honestly think many if not all the providers are proud to be serving vets. Many working at the VA are vets themselves (=jobs). I have sensed that providers are also glad to be there because of the job security as well as not being under pressures to produce profits. That frees them up to do what is medically necessary rather than ordering unnecessary tests and procedures that bring in revenues.

I did have one instance in which I thought I needed an x-ray but the provider sort of brushed it off. I requested a different provider and a new one was assigned. Got the x-ray and never had another problem.

YMMV.

[bigtree]

7. .

[grantcart]

8. that's not stupid

That's aggressive stupidity.


Lose a limb and get a coupon.

[burrowowl]

9. What an ASS!

is Romney !

[pinboy3niner]

10. Thanks, bigtree

There's another thread on this, but it's certainly worth more than one.

Republicans--even McCain!--have pushed for VA privatization for a long time. Vets have always resisted, and ALL the major vets' orgs have testified against it.

It has an ideological appeal to the GOP, but I think the real impetus comes from those who stand to profit from privatization (the 1%ers, again--who else?). Yeah, those faux patriots who give lip service to supporting the troops--while they dream of making a windfall off them.

Any pol pushing this now, in attempt to appeal to the RW base, is a fool. There will be a general election, and we will remember...

The other thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x2288661