Soldier wounded in Iraq receives $3000 medical bill for surgery. How ridiculous is this?!
Anjirocks
2009/03/29 00:13:40
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These guys are risking their lives every day, it's probably the most honourable job anyone can have. Yet he's expected to pay for surgery for an injury he encountered in the line of duty?!
Article:
Erik Roberts, an Army sergeant who was wounded in Iraq, underwent his 13th surgery recently to save his right leg from amputation. Imagine his shock when he got a bill for $3,000 for his treatment.
Army Sgt. Erik Roberts was badly wounded in Iraq with two comrades in April 2006.
1 of 3 "I just thought it was bull---- that I'm getting billed for being wounded in Iraq doing my job. I always put the mission first, and now that I was wounded in Iraq, they're sending me bills," he said.
"I put my life on the line and I was wounded in combat, and I came back and they're not going to take care of my medical bills?"
It's a level of outrage shared by his mother, as well as the doctor who performed the surgery.
"It's hard to understand why we're not taking care of guys like Erik whose injuries are clearly related to their service. They deserve the best care of anybody," said Dr. William Obremskey, an Air Force veteran and surgeon at Vanderbilt Orthopaedics in Nashville, Tennessee.
"For him to be responsible for $3,000, I think, is a little ridiculous or is uncalled for, particularly in this situation."
His mother, Robin Roberts, put it more succinctly: "Why should any soldier pay one penny of a medical bill from injuries that occurred while they were fighting in a war? That's what really frustrates me."
The Department of Veterans Affairs has now decided to pay his bill, but only after prodding from a U.S. senator who got involved after CNN brought it to his attention.
Roberts, of Warren, Ohio, is one of more than 31,100 U.S. troops to have been wounded in Iraq. An additional 4,262 have died in the war.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/03/26/wounded.warrior/index.html?e...
Article:
Erik Roberts, an Army sergeant who was wounded in Iraq, underwent his 13th surgery recently to save his right leg from amputation. Imagine his shock when he got a bill for $3,000 for his treatment.
Army Sgt. Erik Roberts was badly wounded in Iraq with two comrades in April 2006.
1 of 3 "I just thought it was bull---- that I'm getting billed for being wounded in Iraq doing my job. I always put the mission first, and now that I was wounded in Iraq, they're sending me bills," he said.
"I put my life on the line and I was wounded in combat, and I came back and they're not going to take care of my medical bills?"
It's a level of outrage shared by his mother, as well as the doctor who performed the surgery.
"It's hard to understand why we're not taking care of guys like Erik whose injuries are clearly related to their service. They deserve the best care of anybody," said Dr. William Obremskey, an Air Force veteran and surgeon at Vanderbilt Orthopaedics in Nashville, Tennessee.
"For him to be responsible for $3,000, I think, is a little ridiculous or is uncalled for, particularly in this situation."
His mother, Robin Roberts, put it more succinctly: "Why should any soldier pay one penny of a medical bill from injuries that occurred while they were fighting in a war? That's what really frustrates me."
The Department of Veterans Affairs has now decided to pay his bill, but only after prodding from a U.S. senator who got involved after CNN brought it to his attention.
Roberts, of Warren, Ohio, is one of more than 31,100 U.S. troops to have been wounded in Iraq. An additional 4,262 have died in the war.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/03/26/wounded.warrior/index.html?e...
( I do miss you Rchl...I just come back and hope you and yours are doing welll...Love Risa )
God Bless our Veterans!
God Bless America!
Or am I just taking a conservative point of view too far?
This shouldn't be a case of out of network expense. If they need to see a specialist that isn't a VA Dr, then the cost of that visit and any other treament by that Dr should be covered.
Before focusing on a socialized health care system, this country really should work to get the VA in order, so that it can be better equipped to handle all those soldiers that Obama promised to bring home....
You shouldn't have to prod them to pay with a threat from a representative.
it wasn't a wise ass comment, i too believe that they are owed medical care for their service, just pointing out that in that job you can't expect never to get hurt.
Remember the story from a couple weeks ago that Obama wanted to charge wounded Veteran's insurance for treatment of service connected disabilities? Who needs a law when you can just instruct the heads of government agencies to carry out your plan?