Veterans speak out on health care bill, say it could hurt 2 million on Medicaid
Jake Lowary
On the day Senate Republicans unveiled their health care bill, some military veterans say what the GOP rolled out is "un-American."
Veterans from across Tennessee said they're speaking out on behalf of 2 million veterans nationwide who they think will lose or see reduced health care coverage because of the move by Congress to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare.
Led by 36-year retired Marine Corps veteran Lt. Gen. John Castellaw, who lives in rural Crockett County in West Tennessee, he and others said the proposed health care bill would potentially boot millions of veterans off health care that many depend on to supplement coverage or just give them access to doctors.
He said many veterans are not eligible for care through the Department of Veterans Affairs, and sometimes VA benefits don't fully cover the costs of health care.
► Related:Senate health care bill: What we know so far
► Related: Senate Republicans unveil health care bill that slashes taxes, rolls back Medicaid
Castellaw's grandfather, a World War I veteran, used Medicaid near the end of his life because the VA wouldn't cover all of his medical needs, he said. One in 10 veterans uses Medicaid, he said.
"This is a dishonor to those who have served," said Castellaw, who said they "reject" the plan released by the Senate.
Castellaw, flanked by former Marine and Nashville attorney Bob Tuke, who led a failed bid for U.S. Senate, and Kelly Gregory, an Air Force veteran, gathered in front of the VA hospital in Nashville and urged vets across Tennessee and elsewhere to call Sens. Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker and ask they vote against the bill.
Gregory, of Hendersonville, said her family has lived in Tennessee for 200 years and has served in the military during every major war. After her service, Gregory developed stage 4 breast cancer, which has metastasized to her spine.
She gets treated because of Medicaid, and said the bill would end that.
"If (you) pass this, I will die," she said.
Gregory said she "glanced" at the bill Thursday morning and said it "would end Medicaid as we know it in this country."
"I want you to tell (senators) that you don't want to live in a country that lets people die because they don't have enough money to pay for (prescription) drugs, to pay for chemotherapy," she said.
She pulled out a patch she wore as an airman, which had an image of the U.S. Capitol. Her unit was responsible, in part, for protecting the Capitol.
"I need the people who work in this building to hear me, to treat me like a person who matters," she said.
In a statement Alexander defended the legislation, and specifically the Medicaid provisions.
"Let me repeat: it makes no change in the law protecting people with pre-existing conditions, no change in Medicare benefits, and increases funding for Medicaid — that’s TennCare — at the rate of inflation," he said in the statement.
Corker said in his statement he was open to hearing the concerns of "stakeholders."
"I will take time to fully review the legislative text and seek input from a wide range of stakeholders across our state," he said. "I will make a final decision based on whether this legislation, on the whole, is better than what is in place today."
President Donald Trump called the House version of the bill "mean," but has been on a public assault blaming Democrats for being "obstructionists" to what he said could be "the greatest health care plan the world has ever seen."
An assessment from the Congressional Budget Office indicated the revised House version would reduce the number of Americans getting health care by about 23 million.
► More:Eyes turn to D.C., as tenuous health insurance landscape emerges in Tennessee
► More:Study: AHCA could cost Tennessee 28k jobs
A CBO assessment for the Senate version is expected in the coming days.
Veterans as a group have been mostly silent about the health care debate as it has raged in Washington and drawn numerous protests and rallies across the state and nation.
Thursday's rain-soaked news conference was the first significant public display of opposition by Tennessee veterans.
Trump was in Iowa on Wednesday to push the legislation, which would be his first major legislative move if it passes nearly six months into his administration.
► More:The American Health Care Act’s winners and losers in Tennessee
► More:9 questions we have about the AHCA bill
Jake Lowary covers veterans and military affairs for the USA TODAY NETWORK. Reach him at 931-237-1583 and on Twitter @JakeLowary.