While we honor those who have served our country, we too often do them a disservice upon their return. The Department of Veterans Affairs covers the medical needs of many of our returning servicemen and women, but 1 in 10 veterans currently lack access to health insurance. There are 1.3 million non-elderly veterans without health insurance in the United States plus 900,000 of their dependents, according to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
The vast majority of veterans who are currently uninsured would have access to health insurance under the Affordable Care Act:
With the ACA’s implementation, nearly half of uninsured veterans could have access to coverage through Medicaid expansions and another 40 percent could potentially qualify for subsidized coverage in newly created health insurance exchanges provided they do not have access to affordable employer-sponsored coverage.
It’s important to remember this as the U.S. Supreme Court nears its ruling on Obamacare. So now we can add to the long list of people who would be hurt badly if the court were to strike down the law the military men and women who have put their lives on the line for their country. After all we’ve asked of them, it’s unthinkable that the richest country on earth will tell them they’re on their own.
