Due to Bush decision, 1.8 million Veterans without health care

Now here is an issue that John Kerry could have brought up in the 2004 race, but instead chose not to get his feet wet.

At least 1.8 million veterans don't have any access to health care, even though they put their sweat and blood on the line so all of us can sit here and enjoy life:

Nearly 1.8 million U.S. veterans are withouthealth insurance, and more than half of them said they have no place togo when they are sick, Harvard Medical School researchers reportedTuesday.

The study also found that more than 25 percent of uninsured veteranssaid they could not afford prescriptions, while more than 20 percentsaid they could not afford eyeglasses.

So what seems to be the problem then?  Why aren't they on Medicaid?

The researchers said the uninsured veterans are primarily low- tomiddle-income workers, aged 44 to 64, who are too poor to affordprivate insurance coverage but not poor enough to qualify for Medicaidor VA health care.

OK, so why did the federal government let this happen?  Thank George W. Bush

The researchers said the main cause for the large number ofuninsured veterans was the narrowing of eligibility for health careprovided by the Department of Veterans Affairs. In 2003, the Bushadministration limited VA health care eligibility to veterans withcombat-related health problems or those making less than $30,000 a year.

And four years later we finally get these numbers.  Absolutely disgraceful.  Conservatives who oppose single-payer, not-for-profit health care should try looking these brave veterans in the eye and telling them that to their face, instead of hiding behind the holier than thou 'moral majority' label.