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LEGION WANTS MEDICARE FUNDS FOR VA
Under the law, Medicare does not reimburse the Department of Veterans Affairs for medical treatment provided to
veterans who rate Medicare, and American Legion commander Richard J. Santos says the law should be changed. The
problem is the Priority 7 group of veterans who were brought into the VA medical system in 1996, asserted
Santos. This added all remaining veterans to the ranks of those with service-connected disabilities or limited
incomes covered by Priorities 1 through 6, and mushroomed VA patient numbers by nearly 30 percent. The surge in
patients without adequate funding has thrown Priority 7s into long waiting lists. "As veterans, we earned the right
to use the VA health-care system. As workers, we paid into Medicare," said Santos. You deserve the freedom to use your
guaranteed federal insurance at any VA facility, he said.
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