I may be a small-government advocate, but one area where we can never spend too little is assuring the health of our veterans. For the people whose sacrifice has protected our country, we owe it to them to assure them that any injuries they sustain in battle—physical or psychological—are fully covered and funded well enough to provide them with the best care available.
I do not believe that government-controlled medicine is cost-effective, and I would prefer that medical care for our veterans was covered by a simple, reliable reimbursement plan, rather than a complex bureaucracy that lessens choice and leaves our veterans at the mercy of government doctors. BUT, in any case, more care is better than less. No expense should be spared for our veterans’ medical care.
Another important point on this issue: when veterans’ care is under-funded, it discourages people from enlisting. Our military has been allowing felons to enlist, out of desperation for recruits. If we fund our veterans’ medical care, and thus encourage more people to enlist, we will have more high-quality soldiers. In the long run, this may save more money than it costs. So providing comprehensive, quality medical care to our veterans is not only the compassionate policy— it’s practical, too.
