Opinion: Injured veterans healthcare proposal bites the dust

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On Wednesday, we brought you news of a White House proposal to save a few federal dollars by having veterans use their own private healthcare plans for medical needs. It didn’t take long for the administration to realize it had a public relations disaster on its hands.

After an outcry from veterans groups, and a whuppin’ on ‘The Daily Show,’ White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs announced that the proposal to have vets get medical care through their private family healthcare plans was, as the jargon goes, a nonstarter.

‘In considering the third-party billing issue, the administration was seeking to maximize the resources available for veterans,’ Gibbs said Wednesday in a written statement. ‘However, the President listened to concerns ... that this might, under certain circumstances, affect veterans and their families’ ability to access health care. Therefore, the President has instructed that its consideration be dropped,’ Gibbs said.

You can read the entire statement here.

We would like to tip our hat to the Kansas City Star -- yes, a good, old-fashioned newspaper -- for breaking the news that caught the eye of ‘The Daily Show.’ The Star has some nice details about the drama, including President Obama calling Nancy Pelosi from Air Force One on Wednesday to inform her the plan was off the table. Good goin’, old-media dudes.

-- Robin Abcarian

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