Political Quotes

“But much of that increase is coming from the veterans themselves because they are calculating as a part of their budgeting process the $250 annual user fee that they are going to charge veterans. They are calculating the increase that they are going to get from charging veterans more for their prescription drugs, so that will go into the till; and they count that as increased funding for VA health care. So, quite frankly, they are asking veterans to fund their own health care. Now, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith), as I said earlier, was replaced as Chair of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, and we have a new Chair who has been quoted as saying that he thinks the VA should focus on the core constituency, those with service-connected disabilities and the very poor. But, quite frankly, the people that they are referring to as higher income can be making as little as $22,000 and be considered higher income and be expected to pay this $250 annual user fee and the increased cost for medications. Now, if you are making as little as $22,000 a year and you have expenses and you have a lot of medical needs and you need a lot of prescription drugs, then you are not high income.”