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Politics : Discuss the candidates honestly. -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: tonto who wrote (490)	6/22/2004 11:41:32 AM
From: Ann Corrigan	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 4965

Interesting article re Kerry's on again/off again senate voting record: Kerry Cancels Trip to New Mexico Tuesday, 22-Jun-2004 AP / NEDRA PICKLER WASHINGTON (AP) -- Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry canceled a trip to the swing state of New Mexico Tuesday to make a rare appearance in the Senate. The Massachusetts senator wants to vote for a measure that would require mandatory funding of health care for veterans, a key constituency that he's trying to win in his race against President Bush. Bush campaign advisers say mandatory funding would put all veterans in the federally funded health care system, even those who have health coverage elsewhere, and would reduce the amount available to cover veterans who are most in need of care. "The administration believes it is best for veterans to maintain flexibility," said Bush campaign spokesman Steve Schmidt. "The mandatory approach is an inflexible one and the rigidity does not best serve veterans." The Bush administration has increased benefits, veterans' enrollment in VA health care and spending overall for that department. But the administration has prohibited new enrollments of veterans with the highest earnings unless their health problems are related to their military service. The Kerry campaign says under the administration's policy, about 500,000 veterans are scheduled to be left out of the VA health system. Funding for veterans health care was $26.4 billion this year, according to the Kerry campaign. The amendment that Kerry is returning to vote for would increase funding next year by 30 percent, or nearly $8 billion, to cover all 26 million veterans. The amount would rise in later years to cover new veterans coming into the system and the rising cost of their care. Kerry has missed the vast majority of votes this year, including other votes to increase veterans benefits. Of 132 votes in the Senate this year, Kerry has voted just 14 times, according to an Associated Press tally. Massachusetts Republican Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey last week called on Kerry to resign from the Senate because he's missed so many votes, but Kerry said he's serving his constituents well by running for president.