Army vet billed $3,000 for war wounds

Published

(CNN) -- 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.

art.erikroberts.fam.jpg Army Sgt. Erik Roberts was badly wounded in Iraq with two comrades in April 2006.

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"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.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/03/26/wounded.warrior/index.html?eref=rss_topstories#cnnSTCText

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God bless the Senator for stepping in and resolving this issue but it should never even come to that. Despicable.

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Specializes in L & D; Postpartum.

I believe that President Obama proposed making that the norm. For a soldier injured during service to pay for it him/herself or through their private insurance. That has been taken off the table since. Thank goodness.

What a slap in the face of our military people for him to even suggest such a thing.

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Despicable.

Agreed!

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It's the red tape machine again. I would have had to tell him the VA wouldn't pay his bill if he had come to my facility... I'm glad Sen. Brown stepped in.

I agree... it's terrible.

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Specializes in Making the Pt laugh..
I believe that President Obama proposed making that the norm. For a soldier injured during service to pay for it him/herself or through their private insurance. That has been taken off the table since. Thank goodness.

What a slap in the face of our military people for him to even suggest such a thing.

If this is the case I have lost all respect for the President. Maybe someone pointed out that his re-election would suffer? While I am not American I felt a kick in the guts when I read the article, one group that I believe should be held high in respect are Veterans, WIA's should be not only looked after but compensated and retrained for another career. When this type of thing happens I can see it hurting not only the Veterans but society as a whole.

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I believe that President Obama proposed making that the norm. For a soldier injured during service to pay for it him/herself or through their private insurance. That has been taken off the table since. Thank goodness.

What a slap in the face of our military people for him to even suggest such a thing.

You better have a source for something so inflammatory.

You know better tntrn...

Tsk Tsk :down:

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Specializes in Community, OB, Nursery.

Not only does he get sent to a BS war, he then gets slapped with a bill. Nice...NOT. :angryfire

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Specializes in EMS, ER, GI, PCU/Telemetry.
You better have a source for something so inflammatory.

You know better tntrn...

Tsk Tsk :down:

i would also like to see where that came from.

last time i checked, president obama was fighting for better care of our vets and implementing a universal health care system so that we all could have health care.

that is a shame and i'm glad it was taken care of. god bless him and all others like him who were wounded in iraq.

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I believe that President Obama proposed making that the norm. For a soldier injured during service to pay for it him/herself or through their private insurance. That has been taken off the table since. Thank goodness.

What a slap in the face of our military people for him to even suggest such a thing.

No, no. no-

Here is what Obama actually proposed-

In order to get around delays in approval for VA treatment, give vets the choice of going to any hospital or doc they want, and so that vets who do not live near a VA would not have to travel-

Obama proposed allowing vets to go anywhere they want, that the bills would have to be covered by a vet's private ins (if they even have it) and that the insurance company would then have to seek reimbursement from the VA.

The above is being inacurately reported by ultra conservative media (CBN, Fox) who freak out at everything Obama does.

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