How should America thank veterans? By protecting their health care
Caring for our veterans is not a “red” or “blue” issue; it is red, white and blue.
Sadly, reports detailing the myriad ways in which the VA health system simply failed our veterans make clear this problem has not been resolved.
Now, the warning light is glowing red on an issue to which far less attention has been paid: the threat to veterans’ care posed by looming federal cuts to Medicaid.
There are more than 600,000 veterans living in Arizona. Contrary to public perception, not all receive health care through the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Multiple factors impact VA eligibility. It is not universal among — for example — those who served with the National Guard or Reserves. Even among those who are eligible, the qualification process can be lengthy — especially for individuals with service-related health issues that require extensive research and documentation. For veterans who don’t live near a VA facility, the travel and delay in receiving care can be deterrents to seeking necessary services and treatment. Lastly, VA coverage does not extend to non-military spouses and family members.
Between 2010 and 2013, an estimated one in 10 veterans between the ages of 19 and 64 reported being uninsured. That equated to more than 1 million veterans, including 24,000 here in Arizona.
This is why, in 2013, I stood shoulder to shoulder with then-Gov. Jan Brewer in support of her successful effort to make Medicaid available to more Arizonans. This change in state law has made a lifechanging difference for Arizona veterans and their families.
How do I know? I hear the personal stories from veterans I interact with regularly as the national vice president of the Association of the U.S. Navy. The numbers bear it out, too.
According to a study released this April by the nonpartisan Urban Institute and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the number of uninsured, non-elderly veterans in Arizona was cut in half by 2015. That same report found the number of uninsured veterans nationwide declined from 980,000 in 2013 to 552,000 in 2015. Uninsured rates fell by a similar margin among veterans’ spouses and children.
Not surprisingly, the biggest reductions have come in states, like Arizona, that made Medicaid coverage available to a greater share of our low-income residents and families. In states with robust Medicaid programs, the uninsured rate among veterans averaged 4.8 percent — compared with 7.1 percent in states that have not made changes to make Medicaid more accessible.
Of paramount concern is making sure these gains in veterans’ access to care are preserved.
As Congress debates major healthcare reforms, our elected representatives must heed the critical advances states have made with Medicaid. A House-approved measure would slash federal Medicaid spending by an estimated $880 billion over 10 years. Inevitably, cash-strapped states like ours would have to shoulder more of the financial burden in order to maintain health coverage for veterans, their families and other members of the working poor. This is a bad deal for Arizona.
Memorial Day has come and gone, and with it the usual gestures of well-deserved gratitude toward our nation’s veterans. If our leaders in Washington want to thank a veteran, they should protect Medicaid for the veterans and their families who depend upon it.
Jon Altmann is a retired senior chief intelligence specialist with the U.S. Navy, national vice president of the Association of the U.S. Navy and a member of the American Legion’s National Legislative Council. He is the co-chairman of the City of Phoenix Military Veterans Commission.